Rudra Dutta

Rudra Dutta is a Professor and Associate Department Head in the Department of Computer Science at North Carolina State University, part of the College of Engineering. He joined the faculty in 2001 after completing his Ph.D. at NC State and working as a software developer at IBM. His academic journey includes progression from Assistant Professor (2001-2007) to Associate Professor (2007-2013) to Professor (2013-present), with additional administrative responsibilities as Associate Department Head since Fall 2018.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Computer Science from North Carolina State University (2001)
• M.E. in Engineering System Science and Automation from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India (1993)
• B.E. in Electrical Engineering from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India (1991)

Dutta's research focuses on the design and performance optimization of large-scale networking systems, Internet architecture, wireless networks, and network analytics, with recent emphasis on Cyber-Physical Systems and Software Defined Networking. His work has been particularly influential in areas such as drone communications, wireless security, and network optimization. He has led significant projects including the AERPAW (Aerial Experimentation and Research Platform for Advanced Wireless) testbed, which represents a major national research infrastructure for wireless experimentation.

His research has been supported by over $24 million in funding from the National Science Foundation, Army Research Office, National Security Agency, and industry partners. The most recent major grant is the AERPAW project ($11.6 million from NSF, 2021-2025).

His scientific honors include:

• ACM Distinguished Engineer (2016)
• IEEE Senior Member (2015)

Dutta has advised numerous doctoral and master's students, with over ten PhD students completing their degrees under his supervision. He has served on editorial boards for journals including the Journal of Optical Switching and Networking and Photonic Communication Networks, and has contributed to major conferences including serving as General Co-Chair of the IEEE Sarnoff Symposium. At NC State, he has served on numerous university committees, including the University Standing Committee on Extension, Engagement, and Economic Development and the University Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure Committee.

He is currently teaching courses including CSC/ECE 573 (Fall 2024) and CSC402 (Spring 2025), with a focus on networking education that emphasizes software-defined approaches relevant to modern computer science practice.