Faculty Directory

Blankenship, Gil

Blankenship, Gil

Professor and Associate Chair for External Affairs
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Maryland Robotics Center
Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices
A.V. Williams 1427

BACKGROUND

 

Dr. Blankenship is Professor and Associate Chairman for External Affairs in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park. He is a member of the Applied Mathematics Faculty, a member of the Maryland Robotics Center, and a Core Member of the Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices. He has held visiting positions with New York University, the University of Illinois, the University of Maryland, the US Department of Energy, and with Erasmus University, Rotterdam. His first academic position was with the Department of Systems Engineering, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio. He joined the faculty at the University of Maryland in 1978.

His research interests include applications of signal processing, nonlinear and adaptive control theory, networked control systems, and embedded electronics. His most recent research focuses on autonomous networked mobile robots and wearable sensor systems, especially for medical applications. He has published many papers and reports in these and related areas. His MS and Ph.D. students work at universities, research laboratories, and high technology companies around the world. Dr. Blankenship is a Life Fellow of the IEEE.

Entrepreneurship: Dr. Blankenship has founded several technology companies. The most recent is the Maryland Development Center, a MedTech Startup Studio in Baltimore that works to connect engineering and medical device development and commercialization. MDC has created several startup companies including Next Step Robotics that constructs robotic devices for treatment of foot drop in stroke and Sonosa Medical, which is developing a non-invasive device for diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.

HONORS AND AWARDS

 

    •    IEEE Life Fellow

 

  • Stochastic and nonlinear control
  • Adaptive control
  • AI in engineering design

Congratulations to Our 2022 Undergraduate Department Award Winners

Each year, the department recognizes outstanding undergraduate student achievements.

New undergraduate minor in robotics and autonomous systems

The Maryland Robotics Center will administer the program, which begins in Fall 2021.

$100,000 investment from Amazon to power Clark School initiatives in diversity, robotics research and education

Beneficiaries include two Ph.D. fellowships in robotics, the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering, a robotics capstone course, the Black Engineers Society and the Society of Professional Hispanic Engineers.

Alumnus Profile: Pratik Gupta

Pratik Gupta graduated from UMD's ENTS Program in 2006. Ten years later he founded Strom Motors, an electric car start-up based in Mumbai, India.

ECE Inducts Three New Distinguished Alumni

Ghanadan, Tan, and Viniotis inducted for leadership and meritorious contributions to engineering, humanitarian efforts, and the application of their engineering education to other disciplines.

Alumnus Profile: Christopher Chornay

As Device Engineer at Maryland Development Center, Chris prototypes medical tools and robots as proofs of concept in early-stage development

ECE Names 2016-2017 Distinguished Dissertation Fellows

Five Electrical and Computer Engineering Ph.D. students were selected as ECE Distinguished Dissertation Fellows for 2016-17.

TRX Systems to Exhibit at NSF's The Arc of Science in Washington, DC

The Arc of Science: Research to Results will feature NSF-funded researchers who have made real-world impacts with their discoveries, demonstrating their science with hands-on activities.

Faculty Founded Techno-Sciences, Inc. Acquired by McMurdo Group

ECE-born company specializes in satellite ground stations, emergency response center systems, coastal surveillance tools

TRX Systems Receives Tibbets Award for Excellence

Operated by women who are ECE alumni, TRX systems gains recognition for excellence in government research and development.  

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)