Veena Misra is the interim dean of the College of Engineering at NC State University. She leads one of the nation’s largest engineering schools, home to more than 12,000 students, 750 faculty and staff, and nearly $290 million in annual research expenditures. As interim dean, Misra is focused on advancing the college’s commitment to student success while balancing a productive, interdisciplinary research enterprise.

Misra, who is the M.C. Dean Distinguished University Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has spent her entire academic career at NC State University. After a stint in industry at Motorola’s Advanced Products Research and Development Laboratories in Austin, she returned to NC State as an assistant professor. She has held leadership roles of increasing responsibility, and was named the tenth head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2024.

During her tenure at NC State, Misra has made innovative research contributions that have advanced semiconductors, health- and environmental-monitoring sensors, and robotics. She has authored more than 230 papers in the areas of state-of-the-art low-power complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor devices, power devices, alternative high-mobility substrates, nanoscale magnetics and energy harvesting. She has advised 32 Ph.D. students over her career. 

In 2012, Misra’s Engineering Research Center proposal was funded by the National Science Foundation, leading to the establishment of the Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies, or ASSIST. As founding director and lead principal investigator, Misra led a team of researchers and students in developing wearable, self-powered devices that provide continuous monitoring of the wearer’s health as well as the surrounding environment. She also led the creation of a robust educational pipeline and industry partners program. 

Misra is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Her awards and honors include the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, an NSF Award for Professional Opportunities for Women in Research and Education, a Department of Education GAANN Electronic Materials Fellowship and a NASA Team Excellence Award. 

She earned her bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering, and she is a three-time alumna of NC State University.