Herff College names Sungyong Jung chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering
July 31, 2026
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Dr. Sungyong Jung has been named chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Herff College of Engineering at the University of Memphis. He will begin his appointment Aug. 3.
Jung joins the UofM from South Dakota State University, where he serves as professor and head of the McComish Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. An experienced administrator, educator and researcher, he brings more than two decades of academic leadership and faculty experience to Herff College.
“Dr. Jung brings a strong combination of academic leadership, research excellence and commitment to student success,” said Dr. Okenwa Okoli, dean of Herff College. “His experience developing forward-looking academic programs, strengthening curricula and supporting faculty growth will position the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering for continued success. We are excited to welcome him to Memphis and to the Herff College community.”
As department head at South Dakota State, Jung led undergraduate curriculum revisions, developed an accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s program in electrical engineering and guided the creation of new academic programs in areas including artificial intelligence engineering and power systems engineering. He has also overseen faculty hiring, accreditation preparation, online program development and departmental budgeting.
Before joining South Dakota State in 2024, Jung spent more than 20 years at the University of Texas at Arlington. He joined the university as an assistant professor of electrical engineering in 2002 and later served as associate professor, professor and associate chair of the department.
As associate chair, he managed course scheduling and faculty teaching assignments, supported accreditation efforts and helped develop undergraduate tracks and graduate certificate programs in embedded systems, electronic propulsion, photonics, power system management and cyber-physical systems. He also led undergraduate research initiatives and organized opportunities for students to present their work.
“I am honored to join the University of Memphis and serve as chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,” Jung said. “I look forward to working with the department’s faculty, staff, students, alumni and industry partners to build on its strengths, expand opportunities for collaboration and prepare students to lead in rapidly evolving areas of electrical and computer engineering.”
Jung’s research interests include electrochemical and biological sensing systems, wearable devices, analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits, radio frequency systems, optoelectronic systems and machine learning. His recent work has included wearable health monitoring devices, biosensor systems, emerging computing technologies and machine-learning applications in health care and agriculture.
He has authored or co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed journal publications and numerous conference papers. His sponsored research has been supported by agencies and organizations including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Naval Sea Systems Command.
Throughout his career, Jung has supervised doctoral, master’s and undergraduate researchers, postdoctoral scholars and visiting researchers. He has taught courses in electronics, analog and digital integrated circuit design, very-large-scale integration and mixed-signal circuit design.
Jung earned a doctorate in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He holds a master’s degree and bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering from Yeungnam University in South Korea. He is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a member of Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Pi.