Professor Mostafa Kaveh: 50 years of distinguished service at the University
Professor Mostafa Kaveh, ECE faculty, former head of the department, and erstwhile dean of the College of Science and Engineering taught his final lecture on December 3, 2025, capping an illustrious 50-year career that spanned teaching research, and administration.
Kaveh joined the University of Minnesota in 1975 as an assistant professor after having earned his doctoral degree in electrical engineering at Purdue University in 1974. He assumed leadership of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1990 steering the department successfully for 15 years. During his time as department head, he expanded the number of faculty to 50, marking a growth of 25 percent. From 2005 to 2018 he took on the mantle of Associate Dean (Research and Planning) with the College of Science and Engineering at the University. In 2018 he was appointed Dean of the College, a position he held until 2022. He also held the Centennial Chair from 2002 to 2014.
As a scientist and engineer, his research is primarily in the areas of statistical signal processing, communications, and image processing. He has led his research team in exploring problems of wireless communications using multiple antennas, sensor array signal processing, image enhancement and restoration.
Kaveh was elevated to Fellow of the IEEE in 1988 for “contributions to Diffraction Tomography and signal processing aspects of that imaging system” and was made Fellow of the AAAS in 2010. He received the Norbert Wiener Society Award from the IEEE Signal Processing Society (SPS) in 2000 (previously called the Society Award and the highest award given by the Society) for “pioneering technical contributions and outstanding leadership in the development, theoretical analysis, and experimental performance of adaptive sensor array signal processing algorithms,” the Leo L. Beranek Meritorious Service Award in 1988 (an IEEE SPS award), a Purdue University Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineer Award in 2002, and a 2022 Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award from the College of Engineering at Purdue University.
The College of Science and Engineering will be hosting an event celebrating Professor Mos Kaveh’s 50 years of service to the University in his roles as researcher, educator, and academic leader.