Posted on August 26, 2026 by Sean M. Wood
Dr. Yongcan Cao dropped “interim” from his title Aug. 1 when he officially took over as chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering.
Cao said his role will evolve from keeping the department stable through department program changes and faculty departures, to long-term strategy around faculty hiring, student success, research and department culture.
“My priorities for the department are student success, research branding and growth, and faculty hiring and retention,” he said. “Those three things reinforce each other. Strong faculty attract funding. Funding supports better student experiences. Student success builds the department’s reputation, which in turn helps recruit the next round of great faculty.”
His personal goal, he said, is to keep learning and growing in the role of department chair.
“Leadership is a skill, just like research, and I don’t think I have fully grasped it,” he said. “At the same time, I want to make sure I am giving back what I have learned along the way. Growth and giving back go hand in hand for me. The more I learn, the more I can offer to people around me.”
He said one lesson from his time as interim chair was balancing the needs of the faculty with the needs of the administration. Those groups may not always be in conflict, he said, but they pull in different directions, and he must get comfortable without them being in perfect alignment.
“Going into the full-time chair role, I plan to carry that lesson with me,” he said. “Listen carefully on both sides while balancing each side’s needs toward shared interests and benefits.”
While the chair’s role matters, Cao said it’s the faculty, staff and students who make a department excellent. His job is to create the conditions where they can excel, by removing obstacles, securing resources, and building a culture where good work is recognized and supported.
“Seeing students succeed after graduation is always the most rewarding part of this job,” Cao said. “Serving as chair is challenging, but it is also a bigger platform to help more students get there. If I can use this role to open doors for even more students than I could from my own lab alone, that is what will make it worthwhile.”
— Sean M. Wood
