Faculty and Support Staff
Dr. Nader Rafla
The Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering oversees the academic, research, and administrative activities, including oversight of the graduate programs. The chair is a tenured member of the faculty who is voted to a 3-year term by the department faculty and serves at the discretion of the Dean of the College of Engineering, Dr. JoAnn Lighty. Dr. Rafla's office is located in the ECE Department office in RUCH 240. He may be contacted at (208) 426-3711 or via email at nrafla@boisestate.edu.
Dr. Kurtis Cantley
The Ph.D. Program Coordinator is responsible for admission, academic quality, scholarship, and program development of the ECE Ph.D. program. As chair of the Graduate Committee, Dr. Cantley also oversees the admission process including evaluation of incoming students and development of the requirements and procedures for the comprehensive exams, thesis and dissertation proposals, and final dissertation. Dr. Cantley is located in MEC 202B. He may be contacted at (208) 426-5175 or via email at kurtiscantley@boisestate.edu.
Dr. Jennifer Smith
The MS Program Coordinator is responsible for admission, academic quality, scholarship, and program development of the ECE MS and MENG programs. Dr. Smith also oversees the comprehensive exam for the master of engineering program. Her office is located in RUCH 222. She may be contacted at (208) 426 - 5743 or via email at jasmith@boisestate.edu.
Kristina Martin
The Academic Programs Manager is responsible for creating and maintaining admission processes and serves as the main contact for prospective student leads. Kristina also oversees curriculum development, catalog development, and course scheduling. Kristina is located in RUCH 240 or can be contacted via email at kristinamartin@boisestate.edu.
BAILY HAZZARD
The Academic Programs Assistant supports the Academic Programs Manager. Baily's responsibilities include facilitating graduate admissions, supports course scheduling, and helps graduate students with forms and procedures. Baily is located in RUCH 240 or can be contacted via email at bailyhazzard@boisestate.edu.
Support Staff
The ECE Department has a business team available to provide support in the following areas:
· Travel documentation
· Purchasing (lab materials, chemicals, gases, etc.)
· General office support
The business team is located in the RUCH Engineering Building, room 240. Visit the employee resources page on our main website to submit a request, or send an email to support@help4ece.freshdesk.com.
Major Advisor
Your Major Advisor is your primary mentor and will be actively engaged in your academic, research, and professional success. Your Major Advisor provides guidance on your thesis/dissertation topic, guides your research efforts, provides direction on your academic plan and provides funding support, typically through grants or fellowships. Frequent interaction between you and your Major Advisor is needed to establish the scope of your academic research, plan and implement your academic plan, prepare and present your comprehensive exam (PhD program only), thesis/dissertation proposal, and final thesis/dissertation. It is your responsibility to schedule regular meetings and communicate often with your Major Advisor.
Supervisory Committee
Your Supervisory Committee is charged with the general guidance and mentorship, including design and approval of the program of study, supervision of the dissertation (Ph.D. student) or thesis (M.S. student) research, and participation at your final defense. The Supervisory Committee is composed of members of the graduate faculty who are appointed to the committee by the Graduate College and are able to contribute to your research. For PhD students, an External Examiner (not from Boise State University) is required to participate on the supervisory committee. This External Examiner is expected to participate in your dissertation review and your dissertation defense. The External Examiner should be a researcher with expertise in your dissertation topic. All PhD students are also required to identify and contact a Graduate Faculty Representative (GFR) for their supervisory (defense) committee, and to nominate the GFR on their Appointment of Supervisory Committee form. The formation of your supervisory committee is described under program requirements.