Transitions: Sanjay Joshi Steps Down from Co-Director Role and Erkin Seker Joins Leadership Team as New Center Co-Director

After 8 years of sustained effort advocating for increased neuroengineering research at UC Davis and building collaborations that the interdisciplinary field depends on, professor Sanjay Joshi has stepped down from his leadership role as Co-Director of the Center for Neuroengineering & Medicine.

Fortunately, he will continue lending his expertise by serving on the center’s Steering Committee, while also conducting research in the area of Human-Machine Interfaces and Assistive Devices. Professor Joshi intends to support UC Davis efforts to foster multidisciplinary medical and engineering research, including and outside of the field of neuroengineering. The journey from early grass-roots mobilization to forming the Neuroengineering & Medicine Initiative, including a HIP proposal to bring new faculty to UC Davis and serving as a UC Davis Office of Research Faculty Fellow, to Co-Director of the Center for Neuroengineering & Medicine was described in more detail in a previous article.

In preparation for this transition, the center issued a call for nominations in November 2021 in a process that culminated with the election of professor Erkin Şeker as new center Co-Director effective March 21st, 2022, joining professors Karen Moxon and Carolynn Patten on the leadership team. The 3 Co-Directors share responsibilities as they work with the Steering Committee and the Associate Director to achieve the center’s vision for excellent research, education, and translation in neuroengineering and medicine, to improve people’s lives. Professor Şeker is a passionate supporter of neuroengineering activities at UC Davis, and led the development of a new “Intro to Neuroengineering” graduate course. He served as Vice Chair for Graduate Studies in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and is currently leading the development of a Designated Emphasis in Neuroengineering.

We thank professor Joshi for all his contributions to neuroengineering at UC Davis and look forward to his continuous engagement. We welcome professor Şeker in his new role. It is through the selfless dedication of faculty, along with administration, staff, researchers, students, and community members, that the Center for Neuroengineering & Medicine can capitalize on extensive resources at UC Davis as it contributes to neuroengineering research and its applications to science and medicine.

Gabriela Lee, also on behalf of professors Karen Moxon and Carolynn Patten