We are excited to announce the appointment of Dr. Ganesh Balakrishnan, as the new Director of NM EPSCoR, effective March 1. Ganesh Balakrishnan succeeds Dr. Bill Michener, who will retire this year and has served in the role since 2007.

Ganesh "Gunny" Balakrishnan brings over ten years of experience to NM EPSCoR, serving as PI on fifteen large grants in addition to numerous Co-PI appointments. He will continue to teach in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at UNM and will be actively involved in research at the Center for High Technology Materials, working on semiconductor materials and devices. Prior to the EPSCoR directorship, he was the Program Chair for the Optical Science and Engineering Program (OSE) and the Associate Department Chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. Dr. Balakrishnan will remain a member of the OSE Committee.

"Gunny’s exemplary record as a researcher, educator, administrator, and communicator uniquely positions him to serve as the next director of New Mexico EPSCoR," said Bill Michener. "I am confident that he will work tirelessly and successfully to advance research and education across all of our state’s colleges and universities."

As director of NM EPSCoR, Gunny will be responsible for both operational excellence of the current $20-million NM SMART Grid Center award and the successful submission of New Mexico's next $20-million NSF EPSCoR proposal slated for Summer 2022.

"I am very excited to join NM EPSCoR’s leadership team," said Gunny. "This organization has been at the forefront of shaping New Mexico’s research landscape for two decades. I am looking forward to working with the incredible institutions in this state to promote research and to develop the workforce of the future."