5 questions with the chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Arif Sarwat's FIU-FPL Solar Research Center has sent more than 100 alumni into Florida's energy sector. Now, as chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Sarwat is scaling that industry-partnership model across the department—connecting quantum computing researchers with defense contractors, AI developers with healthcare companies and cybersecurity experts with financial institutions.

It's one initiative fueling his broader mission: to create an ecosystem where cutting-edge research meets real-world application. Sarwat discusses his vision for the department here.

Your research centers on energy systems, smart grids and critical infrastructure. How does that background prepare you to lead a department spanning so many fields?

Critical infrastructure work requires coordination across stakeholders, long-term planning and connecting different engineering disciplines. My role as chair mirrors that complexity, enabling faculty to succeed by facilitating collaboration and resources. Whether integrating renewables into power systems or advancing quantum research, the approach is the same.

The department tackles topics dominating headlines, like quantum computing and artificial intelligence. How is FIU positioned to address these challenges?

We're among the few institutions conducting original quantum computing research, developing solutions to stabilize quantum systems and prepare them for market applications. Parallel to that, we're addressing cybersecurity implications, how energy and transportation sectors adapt when quantum computing changes the threat landscape.

In artificial intelligence and machine learning, our teams are developing algorithms that make systems more efficient. For renewable energy, we're determining optimal integration strategies that maximize return on investment. We're also advancing work for Department of Defense applications and developing next-generation battery storage. Our labs span the full spectrum from fundamental research to market-ready products.

Why are industry partnerships critical to this work?

Laboratory innovations must be validated in real settings. Industry partners supply field data necessary for machine learning validation and identify gaps between academic research and practical application.

We've launched a university-industry partnership program across healthcare data analytics, financial services machine learning, energy systems, and transportation. The goal is that every faculty member develops robust industry collaboration that develop active partnerships to create internship-to-career pathways.

How do you prepare students when AI is reshaping the field so rapidly?

The landscape is changing fast. We're updating curricula by involving industry partners to understand current needs while maintaining national lab relationships to identify emerging research directions. Industry is truly crucial because they have no choice but to quickly adopt emerging best practices with AI. By giving students access to these real-world projects, they gain experience that makes them competitive nationally.

How is the department addressing South Florida's specific technology and infrastructure needs?

South Florida's technology sector is growing rapidly, and our students are in high demand. The challenges they work on here are relevant all over the country, from grid resilience in hurricane-prone conditions to AI applications in local healthcare and financial industries.

Our students are recruited heavily by West Coast firms and national labs, but many of them also stay here. When they do, their education and industry connections help them contribute to the next wave of the South Florida tech boom, and our growth as a region compounds.