Alum Xiaobo Tan named to Richard M. Hong Endowed Chair at MSU

Michigan State University has named alumnus Xiaobo Tan (EE Ph.D. 2002) the Richard M. Hong Endowed Chair in Electrical Engineering. At Maryland, Tan was advised by Professor John Baras (ECE/ISR) and Professor P. S. Krishnaprasad (ECE/ISR).

Tan plans to use his chair to further MSU’s robotics program. “I look forward to working with my colleagues within the department and beyond to advance our education and research goals,” he said.

Tan is an MSU Foundation Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and an adjunct professor of Mechanical Engineering. He leads the Smart Microsystems Lab, known for underwater robotics, soft robotics, control systems, and smart materials.

John Papapolymerou, chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, said the Hong Endowed Chair is one of the most prestigious appointments of the department and the College of Engineering.

Tan has published more than 250 peer-reviewed papers and been awarded four U.S. patents in his research areas.

He is a Fellow of IEEE and ASME, and a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award (2006), MSU Teacher-Scholar Award (2010), MSU College of Engineering Withrow Distinguished Scholar Award (senior category, 2018), and multiple best paper awards.

At Maryland, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering gave Tan its Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018.

Published August 10, 2020