Philanthropic Impact

Pillars of ECE Excellence

Generosity from alumni, families, friends, companies, foundations and other partners helps the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering recruit and retain outstanding faculty, support students, modernize teaching spaces and expand hands-on learning.
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Faculty Excellence
Student Success
Teaching Innovation
Industry Partnerships
Community Giving

Faculty Excellence

Endowed chairs, professorships and faculty support funds help ECE recruit, retain and empower outstanding scholars and educators.

Portrait of Chen-Nee Chuah

Child Family Professorship in Engineering

Established in 1995 by Michael C. and Renee Z. Child, this was the first-ever endowed position within the College of Engineering. It is currently held by Professor Chen-Nee Chuah.

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Neville C. Luhmann Jr., second from the left, stands with students in front of Kemper Hall at UC Davis

Neville C. Luhmann, Jr. Endowed Professorship

Honoring the legacy of Professor Neville Luhmann, a distinguished researcher and longtime ECE faculty member.

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image of Dorf and faculty

Richard C. and Joy Dorf Funds

Professor Emeritus Dorf and his wife Joy have been among the most prominent supporters of UC Davis since 1975.

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Student Success

Philanthropy supports graduate and undergraduate students through scholarships, awards, research support and conference travel opportunities.

Endowed Scholarships and Awards

Jain Prize

Anil Jain Memorial Endowment

Established in memory of Professor Anil K. Jain, this award celebrates graduate students who have made seminal contributions to signal processing and computer vision. 
Speaker addressing a seated, attentive audience in a bright gallery-style room

Khadar B. Shaik Memorial Award

This award, established in the memory of Dr. Khadar B. Shaik who received his Ph.D. in ECE at UC Davis (2014), recognizes a graduate student who has advanced to candidacy and has shown great promise for intellectual contributions to the field of electrical and computer engineering.
Group of smiling graduates in caps with friends on grassy lawn by building

Shu Lin Graduate Student Conference Travel Fund

Professor Emeritus Shu Lin inspired generations of students through his teaching, mentorship and pioneering research. The Shu Lin Graduate Student Conference Travel Fund honors his legacy by supporting graduate students attending information systems conferences.
Vivian Nguyen in dark blazer under sunlit trees

Zhi Ding Prize for Scholarly Excellence in Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Ding Prize for Scholarly Excellence in Electrical and Computer Engineering recognizes a top graduating student in electrical or computer engineering whose academic achievement reflects exceptional dedication, intellectual rigor and excellence in their discipline.

Individual and Family Donors 

Club members outdoors

Smita Bakshi

Former ECE professor and co-founder of Zyante Inc. (zyBooks), Smita Bakshi established the Smita Bakshi Digital Learning & Teaching Award to recognize ECE teaching assistants who use innovative teaching methods and technology to enhance student learning and academic success.
Helen Kim

Helen Kim

Helen H. Kim, Ph.D., chair of the ECE Advisory Board, together with Colin A. Warwick, D. Phil., has made a generous multi-year commitment to the Neville C. Luhmann, Jr. Endowed Professorship, strengthening the department's ability to recruit and retain world-class faculty and honoring the legacy of one of ECE's most distinguished scholars.
Vincent Li receiving rising star award

Vincent Li

Vincent Li '15, M.S. '16 established the Global Leadership Scholarship for Electrical and Computer Engineering Students to support Integrated Degree Program students who combine academic excellence with global experience. A Qualcomm engineer, Vincent created the scholarship to cultivate engineers who lead across borders, reflecting his conviction that tomorrow's technical leaders must excel at aligning teams around the world.
Group of COFFEE members indoors

Jannie Wu

Community champion and supporter of the COFFEE student club, Jannie Wu '84 established the Wu Family Foundation Scholarship in 2003 to provide financial support to needy College of Engineering first-year undergraduate students.

Teaching Innovation

Modern labs and classroom upgrades improve the learning environment. 

Four individuals collaborating at a workbench with electronics in a lab-like setting.

Babak Taheri - Andre Knoesen ECE Teaching Lab
people inside of an ece lab looking at equipment

Francis and Evelyn Lee - Dr. Ron and Rosie Soohoo ECE Teaching Labs

Industry and Institutional Partners

Long-standing partners help ECE provide industry-relevant tools, lab enhancements and student opportunities that strengthen the department’s educational mission.

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Give Day: Collective Impact in Action

Each year, alumni, friends and partners come together on UC Davis Give Day to support ECE students and programs. In 2026, 151 donors gave $53,132 to strengthen hands-on learning, labs, and student opportunity. Special thanks to Frank Mong and Ahn Tran for their matching support.

Learn more about Give Day

Support ECE Excellence

Together we engineer a better world! Your support can help fund student success, faculty distinction, lab innovation and future opportunities across our department.

Give to ECE  Contact Development

This page is not intended to be a comprehensive donor list. It highlights selected examples of philanthropic impact across the department.