Alan Michaels named Northrop Grumman Senior Faculty Fellow

Alan Michaels, director of the Spectrum Dominance Division at the National Security Institute and professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering, has been named the Northrop Grumman Senior Faculty Fellow by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The Northrop Grumman Senior Faculty Fellowship was established through a gift from the Northrop Grumman Corporation. It enables Virginia Tech to offer support to a College of Engineering faculty member associated with the National Security Institute to enhance the faculty member's research in areas of interest to the company. Recipients retain the fellowship for a period of three years.

Michaels has delivered creative research solutions to problems in secure digital communications and cryptography, accompanied by a distinguished record of patents and scholarship. He has received external grants worth more than $181 million and has served as principal investigator of joint academic-industry teams, including the ongoing Northrop Grumman-Virginia Tech efforts for Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity. His work has led to 45 issued U.S. patents with seven more pending. He was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2021.

Through his innovative teaching methods, focus on hands-on experiential learning as the university Vertically Integrated Projects site director, advising students in multiple departments, and creation of novel national security-oriented curriculum, Michaels has impacted thousands of Virginia Tech students. He has been instrumental in integrating research of the National Security Institute across multiple Virginia Tech colleges, mentoring senior capstone design projects, and supporting development of project-based curricula.

Michaels received his bachelor's degree, master's degree, and a Ph.D. from the Georgia Tech. He also holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University.