As dean of the CEMSE Division, Setti aims to strengthen graduate education and advance high-impact research across computing, electrical engineering and the mathematical sciences.
About
Professor Gianluca Setti, an internationally recognized scientist and Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), has been appointed dean of the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) Division at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
Setti succeeds Professor Omar Knio, who has served as interim dean since September 2020. He joins KAUST from Politecnico di Torino in Italy, where he most recently served as professor of electronics for signal and data processing in the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications. He also served as the rector’s delegate for research quality evaluation.
As dean, Setti aims to strengthen CEMSE’s role in advancing rigorous graduate education and high-impact research across the Division's programs. His focus includes fostering an environment that supports scientific excellence, interdisciplinary inquiry and the development of future researchers equipped to address complex technological and societal challenges.
“It is a great honor and privilege to join KAUST, a world-class research university with a unique combination of resources and dedication to its mission,” Setti said. “As dean of the CEMSE Division, I look forward to working with a superb community of faculty and staff who are advancing knowledge, educating the next generation of scientists and engineers, and contributing to scientific and technological progress.”
He also acknowledged his predecessor’s contributions. “I would like to express my sincere thanks to Professor Knio for the leadership he provided as interim dean and for the invaluable support he has offered to ensure a smooth transition,” Setti said.
Setti is the first serving non-U.S. editor-in-chief of Proceedings of the IEEE, the institute’s flagship journal, a role he has held since 2019. He has also served two terms as IEEE vice president for publication services and products, during which he emphasized ethical approaches to the use of bibliometric indicators in evaluating research impact. In addition, he served on the IEEE Board of Directors, where he addressed the implications of open-access mandates for IEEE members.
About Professor Gianluca Setti
Setti received his Ph.D. ’97 in electronic engineering and computer science from the University of Bologna, Italy. From 1997 to 2017, he served as assistant, associate and full professor of circuit theory and analog electronics at the University of Ferrara.
His research spans nonlinear circuits, statistical signal processing, electromagnetic compatibility, compressive sensing, biomedical circuits and systems, power electronics, Internet of Things node design and implementation, and machine learning methods for anomaly detection and predictive maintenance.
He received the Caianiello Prize in 1998 for the best Italian Ph.D. thesis on neural networks and the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Meritorious Service Award in 2013. He has also served as an IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Distinguished Lecturer in 2004–05 and 2015–16.
Setti has authored or co-authored about 320 scientific publications, including journal articles and conference papers, and four books. His work has received multiple best paper awards and nominations across IEEE journals and major international conferences.
