Postdoc Pedro Santacruz Accepts Faculty Position

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Published:
July 6, 2015

WNCG Postdoctoral Researcher, Pedro Santacruz, recently accepted a position as an Assistant Professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at San Jose State University.

“Since I started working on my PhD, an academic position has always been my ultimate goal,” Prof. Santacruz states. “I have a particular affinity for teaching and, combined with the possibilities for research, an academic position is a perfect fit for me.”

During his time at San Jose State, Prof. Santacruz will focus on research in wireless and mobile networking. His primary focus will be on distributed algorithms in wireless networks with local and limited network information.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to develop a research lab and advise students in solving challenging research problems,” Prof. Santacruz mentions. “I look forward to the opportunity to develop a new course about the newest technologies in wireless networking.”

According to Prof. Santacruz, his time at WNCG played a significant role in preparing him for an academic position. As part of the Pharos Lab, he learned practical skills, particularly in the implementation and evaluation of wireless networking algorithms in real-world systems. He also learned technical skills including the deployment of ad hoc networks, driver-creation for wireless interfaces and the development of software for mobile devices. On top of that, Prof. Santacruz mentions, he gained valuable experience through managing a lab, working closely with students in an advising role and becoming involved with proposal writing.

“My time at WNCG was a great experience where I learned a new set of skills and interacted with faculty and students doing outstanding research,” Prof. Santacruz mentions. “In particular, being part of Prof. Vishwanath’s group provided a great balance between exposure to theoretical research and real-world applications.”

According to Prof. Santacruz, he accepted the position at San Jose State because of his positive interactions with members of the Electrical Engineering department during his interview.

“From those conversations, I realized I would be a good fit in the department. It was interesting to hear about their future plans, including a center for innovation that is currently being developed. San Jose is also located in Silicon Valley, which creates a great environment for collaboration with leading technology industries,” Prof. Santacruz states.

Prof. Santacruz will start his new position in the Fall of 2015.

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