George Verghese MS ’75 Establishes Teaching Award to Advance Engineering Education

George Verghese MS ’75 has spent more than four decades shaping the fields of power systems, power electronics and biomedical engineering as a professor at MIT. But long before he became a leader in system theory, his path was shaped by a formative period at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, most notably by Professor Chi‑Tsong Chen, PhD, whose clarity of teaching and pioneering textbook ignited Verghese’s passion for the field. “I still recall the excitement of taking a course taught so elegantly by the author of the textbook,” Verghese said. That early spark is the foundation of the legacy he and his wife Ann are now creating at Stony Brook through an endowed education award.

First Impressions

Verghese arrived at Stony Brook under unusual circumstances. After he completed his Bachelor of Technology in electronics at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, a delayed immigration process kept him from joining the 1974 Fall semester on time. He arrived a month late — 21 years old, new to America, and stepping onto a campus still under construction. Living in what was then called Stage XII, now part of Roosevelt Quad, he found himself surrounded by a vibrant community of international students and immersed in a period of rapid cultural adjustment. “It was my first time in the U.S., and everything felt new: customs, classrooms — even snow,” he recalled. Within the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) he gravitated toward the applied mathematics side of electrical engineering, studying linear system theory with Chen, communications with Peter Dollard, PhD and optimal control with Patrick Barry, PhD. “Those classes and those professors cemented my decision to pursue a PhD,” he said. By the end of his first year, he had passed his qualifying exams and completed his Master’s degree, setting the stage for his next chapter at Stanford.

At Stanford, Verghese joined the research group of Professor Thomas Kailath, ScD, finding a community of scholars and visiting faculty. Research and teaching felt like a natural path, especially as both of his parents were physics teachers, and the intellectually rich lives of his mentors offered a compelling model. A pivotal period came in 1977, when he accompanied Kailath on sabbatical to the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore and then to the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. Though he had not yet identified a thesis topic for his PhD, the experience broadened his perspective and exposed him to new ideas. “Six months later my thesis was complete, drawing heavily on insights shaped during my time in Leuven,” said Verghese.

Shaping the Next Generation

In 1979, Verghese joined the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, beginning a distinguished career that spanned power systems, power electronics and biomedical engineering. His early work focused on systems, modeling and control, collaborating closely with colleagues who specialized in hardware. He coauthored the influential 1991 textbook Principles of Power Electronics and decades later returned to the field to coauthor its second edition in 2023. Along the way, his personal life intertwined with his academic one: In 1989 he married Ann Kailath, his former professor’s daughter, whom he had first met years earlier at Stanford, and together they built their life in the Boston area, raising two daughters.

Over the years Verghese rose through the MIT faculty ranks, was recognized with several teaching and mentoring awards, coauthored the 2015 textbook Signals, Systems and Inference, and ultimately became the Henry Ellis Warren Professor of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering. Even after transitioning to semi‑retirement in 2017, he has continued interacting with students and collaborating on research. “What I’m most proud of,” he said, “is what my students have accomplished. Some of the work we did together has stood the test of time, and they’ve gone on to do great things themselves.”

Honoring a Legacy

For Verghese, establishing an award at Stony Brook was a long‑held intention finally brought into focus. After returning to campus in Fall 2025 and seeing the university’s growth firsthand, he felt the moment was right. “Seeing the campus so alive and so beautifully built out, and feeling such warm hospitality, made a real impression,” he said. 

With encouragement from Ann, Verghese created the Professor Chi‑Tsong Chen Excellence in Education Award, honoring the professor whose clarity and rigor first opened the world of system theory to him. The award will recognize up to two CEAS faculty members each year who excel in the classroom and whose work shows potential for educational impact beyond Stony Brook — particularly through pedagogical innovation and creative curriculum design.

“George’s story is a powerful reminder of how a single course, a single mentor or a single moment can change a life, and I say that with deep personal conviction,” said Andrew Singer, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “George Verghese was my own professor at MIT and served on my PhD thesis committee, profoundly shaping my path as an engineer and researcher. To now serve as dean at Stony Brook and have the privilege of celebrating his gift honoring the mentor who first inspired him, that is a full-circle moment I could not have imagined. This award strengthens our ability to support the kind of faculty whose teaching and scholarship inspire students to discover what’s possible, just as George did for so many of us, including me.”

Naming the award for Chen felt essential. “He was a rather self‑effacing man,” Verghese said. “He had an international reputation for the textbooks he wrote, including the pioneering one I studied from, but was otherwise somewhat unheralded.” Distinguished Professor Petar Djuric echoed that sentiment: “What impressed me most was the seamless way in which Chen’s teaching prepared students for deeper analytical thought. His humility, intellectual rigor and deep commitment to education defined him as a scholar and teacher of remarkable stature.”

The opportunity to triple the impact of the gift through matching funds from New York state and the Simons Foundation helped solidify the decision. “That was actually a deciding factor,” Verghese said. “It motivated Ann and me to make a gift that crossed the threshold for the generous matching.” For them, the award is both a tribute and an investment — one that honors Chen’s legacy while supporting the future of engineering education at Stony Brook.

Funding for the Professor Chi‑Tsong Chen Excellence in Education Award is amplified by both the New York State endowment match program and the Simons Infinity Investment match Challenge, which will triple the impact this endowment gift will have on Stony Brook. For more information, visit stonybrook.edu/endowments. If you have interest in or questions about endowments or the match opportunities, contact Scott Barrett, interim vice president for Advancement, at (631) 632-9128 or scott.barrett@stonybrook.edu. 

-Christine McGrath