Dr. Dean teaches hands-on courses on creating embedded computer systems: putting small computers into other things to make them better.  The embedded computer is like an Arduino or Raspberry Pi, but more flexible, efficient and capable. It can improve the basic system's performance, efficiency, reliability, costs, safety, dependability and maintainability. It can also add new features and capabilities. 

His research focuses on methods that make embedded computers more responsive and efficient, leveraging the strengths of software and hardware  methods appropriately. 

Currently teaching/course development (and family life) are demanding all of his energy and time, forcing him to ignore all the exciting research temptations which keep springing up. He hopes to start up research again in 2026, but will need to see how things shape up.

Dr. Dean's work targets embedded systems by applying and enhancing methods from fields such as:

• real-time systems and operating systems
• compilers
• computer architecture and memory systems
• SIMD programming
• dependable systems
• switch-mode power conversion 
• communication networks 

Dr. Dean has worked and consulted extensively for the embedded systems industry internationally. He holds three patents.

Courses

•  ECE 460/560: Embedded System Architectures (fall semesters) 
•  ECE 461/561: Embedded System Design/"Optimization" (spring semesters) 
•  ECE 785: Topics in Advanced Computer Design (spring semesters) 

Research Interests

• Compiling for concurrency and performance
• Energy efficient use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors
• Memory allocation for real-time systems
• MCU control of switched-mode power converters
• Benchmarking for embedded systems
• Robust embedded system design

Educational Background

• BS EE 1991, University of Wisconsin at Madison
• MS ECE 1993, Carnegie Mellon University
• PhD ECE 2000, Carnegie Mellon University