UC Santa Barbara’s College of Engineering officially became known as The Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering in June 2025, after receiving approval from UC President Michael Drake, the college's Faculty Executive Committee, the UCSB Academic Senate, and the UC systemwide Academic Council.
The Visionary
The name recognizes a visionary who laid the cornerstone for the enduring success of the college. While serving as dean from 1983 to 1990, Mehrabian enhanced UCSB’s academic prestige and research capabilities by investing in shared instrumentation and facilities, and embracing the pursuit of interdisciplinary research, all of which continue to drive discovery on campus today. Mehrabian also changed the trajectory of the college by prioritizing the strategic hiring of top-tier senior and junior faculty, who shared in the vision of a new model for conducting research and delivering education. One amazing statistic from his tenure is that twenty-two of his sixty-nine hires went on to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Sciences, and/or the Royal Society. Mehrabian also founded and nurtured our world-renowned Materials Department, and he established the collaborative culture that is still embraced today and seen as a catalyst for positive change, a beacon of innovation, and a model of excellence.
“Dr. Mehrabian didn’t just build a college – he created a model for how engineering education should work. His vision of collaboration across departments laid the foundation for the top-tier national rankings our engineering programs enjoy today.” - Umesh Mishra, UCSB Dean of Engineering
The Philanthropist
The naming also honors the transformational gift provided by Mehrabian and his wife, Victoria. Their significant endowment has already created seventeen endowed chairs to help recruit and retain world-renowned faculty. The remaining funds are uniquely flexible and can be used to support new research endeavors, support faculty excellence, and ensure that the college reaches ever higher levels of excellence. Recruiting the best and brightest faculty will also attract the highest-quality students, who will be equipped to become engineering leaders and enhance our social impact.
“I am honored and overwhelmed by a strong sense of gratitude. I want to thank Chancellor Henry Yang, Dean of Engineering, Dr. Umesh Mishra and the College of Engineering faculty for their trust in bestowing me with this great honor. The success of the College, its students and renowned faculty will continue as my priority in the future,” - Robert Mehrabian
Mehrabian received his bachelor’s and Doctor of Science degrees in Metallurgy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He served as an assistant and associate professor in the Department of Metallurgy at MIT from 1968 to 1975 and subsequently as a professor at the University of Illinois from 1975 to 1979. After serving as dean at UCSB from 1983 to 1990, he was president of Carnegie Mellon University from 1990 to 1997. Additionally, he directed the Center for Materials Science at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and he was issued eight U.S. and 40 foreign patents, authored 139 technical papers, and edited six materials science books. His numerous accolades include election to the National Academy of Engineering (1984), the Henry Marion Howe Medal, and fellowships from ASM International and TMS (The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society). He also holds honorary doctorates from Carnegie Mellon (Sc.D.) and Chatham College (L.H.D.).
Since 1999, Robert Mehrabian has held key leadership positions at Teledyne Technologies, including Chairman, President, and CEO, driving the company’s substantial growth and transformation into a leading industrial conglomerate. A highly respected industry leader, he is recognized for his strategic vision, transformative leadership, and commitment to innovation. Under his guidance, Teledyne has expanded its presence in high-tech sectors such as digital imaging, electronics, and environmental and space instrumentation including the infrared imager for The James Webb Telescope, which gives us a deep view of the distant universe, the star forming region in our Milky Way and insight into the origins of the universe.