“I fell in love with Valpo when I visited for my interview,” says MARK BUDNIK, Ph.D., the Paul H. Brandt Professor in Engineering and chair of the electrical and computer engineering department. “Everything I was looking for as a teacher, professor, mentor, and colleague was here for me.”
Professor Budnik joined Valpo’s faculty in 2006 after a 16-year career in the semiconductor field, culminating as a principal engineer at Hitachi Semiconductor. He was named to the Brandt Professorship and as department chair in 2013, the same year that he received the University’s Excellence in Teaching Award in recognition of the outstanding faculty student relationships he has established.
“The relationships that faculty establish with their students and colleagues make this a special place,” Professor Budnik says. “The Brandt Professorship lets me work closely with students, get to know their interests, and push them in ways they wouldn’t go by themselves. I love the moment when students come up with something they’ve never seen or done before.”
