Two new department heads named

Two new department heads have been appointed in the College of Technology.

Kenneth Burbank, Ph.D., will be the department head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology. Ragu Athinarayanan, Ph.D., will be the department head of the Department of Technology Leadership & Innovation.

Since 2001, Burbank has been a professor and head of the Department for Engineering and Technology at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C. He has also held teaching positions at Virginia State University, New England Institute of Technology and the University of Rhode Island.

Prior to his roles in the classroom, Burbank gained industry experience as an engineer and supervisor at Cherry Semiconductor Corp. in East Greenwich, R.I., and Solid State Scientific in Montgomeryville, Penn.

He earned his doctorate, master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Brown University in Providence, R.I. His appointment begins shortly after July 1.

Athinarayanan will come to Purdue from his post as associate dean of the School of Polytechnic Studies and professor and chair of the Department of Industrial and Engineering Technology.

He has had extensive experience in implementing degree programs that are responsive to the needs of industry and working with accrediting agencies.

He earned his Ph.D. in engineering science, and his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering, all from Southern Illinois University. He will start in his new position August 1.