Rob A. Rutenbar

Rob A. Rutenbar is the Senior Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Pittsburgh and holds Distinguished Professor appointments in the School of Computing and Information and Swanson School of Engineering. He previously served as Head of Computer Science at the University of Illinois (2010-2017) and chaired Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University for 25 years. His research focuses on integrated circuit design tools, nanoscale statistical modeling, and hardware accelerators for AI. He founded companies Neolinear (acquired by Cadence) and Voci Technologies (acquired by Medallia). Rutenbar has authored over 200 publications and mentored 50+ students. He is an ACM/IEEE Fellow and recipient of the Phil Kaufman Award and ACM SIGDA Pioneering Achievement Award.

Education: PhD in Computer Engineering (University of Michigan, 1984), MS (1979), BS in Electrical Engineering (Wayne State University, 1978).

Research Interests: Tools for analog IC design, statistical models for nanoscale circuits, and AI hardware architectures. Notable projects include the Center for Circuit & System Solutions (C2S2) and the first EDA MOOC on Coursera with 100k+ learners.

Awards: Includes ACM SIGDA Pioneering Achievement Award (2021), AAAS Fellow (2019), Phil Kaufman Award (2017), and Donald O. Pederson Best Paper Award (2011, 2013).

Leadership: Launched Pitt Momentum Funds, LifeX Labs, and the CS+X interdisciplinary degree program at Illinois. Serves as Chair-Elect of the APLU Council on Research.