UC Santa Barbara alumnus Tunc Doluca and his wife, Lale, have made a $500,000 gift to the campus to establish an endowed chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
The Doluca Family Chair will support the teaching and research of a distinguished scholar specializing in analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit design, which will help strengthen pioneering research in this important field.
"Analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits provide the vital link between real world signals, such as sound, temperature, and sight, for example, and today's powerful digital signal processors," said Tunc Doluca, president and chief executive officer of Maxim Integrated Products, an international corporation specializing in the design and manufacture of high-performance semiconductor products.
Doluca earned his bachelor's degree from Iowa State University, and a master's degree in electrical engineering from UCSB.
He holds 11 mixed-signal design patents.
"These integrated circuits are found in all electronic equipment," Doluca explained, noting that the United States is currently the leader in analog and mixed-signal product development.
"Maintaining this leadership demands a steady flow of engineering students, especially with advanced degrees, with the training and passion to develop these products," he added.
"My graduate studies and teaching assistantship at UCSB achieved just that for me. The endowed chair will support faculty so as to attract, motivate, and instill passion in students in the field of analog and mixed-signal design."
Larry Coldren, acting dean of the College of Engineering, said the Doluca Family Chair "will strengthen a key area in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, insuring renewed strength in research and teaching in a discipline vital to the economy of California as well as the nation in general."
Endowed chairs are highly prized academic positions established with philanthropic gifts.
They enable a university to recruit and retain outstanding faculty and to develop more fully a field of study by providing chair holders with ongoing unrestricted financial support for enhanced research and instruction.
"The Doluca Family Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering will allow the department to recognize the contributions of an outstanding faculty member in the area of analog and mixed-signal design and to expand our teaching and research efforts in this already well-established area," said Jerry Gibson, department chair.
"Generous gifts such as the Doluca Family endowment help us to sustain our momentum as we continue to move up in the rankings of the top 20 departments in the nation.
This endowed chair will also provide a reminder of the extraordinary achievements of Tunc Doluca and his commitment to UCSB."
The Dolucas reside in Saratoga.
Since the inception of The Campaign for UC Santa Barbara in 2000, UCSB's endowment –– now estimated at more than $154 million –– has grown by $79 million. Fifty-seven new endowed professorships have been established during the campaign, bringing UCSB's total to 73.
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