Wright to Continue as UW Engineering Dean Through August 2023

Cameron Wright, who has served as interim dean of the University of Wyoming’s College of Engineering and Applied Science since August 2019, has been named acting dean through August 2023 by the UW Board of Trustees.

“Dr. Wright is the right person at the right time to lead the College of Engineering and Applied Science through the pandemic and our current budget headwinds,” Interim Provost Anne Alexander says. “We will restart a dean search in the summer of 2022, but we’re thrilled at his willingness to continue serving at this time.”

Wright, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, says he appreciates the confidence and support of the provost, President Ed Seidel and the Board of Trustees.

“Despite the recent challenges of the budget and a pandemic, I strongly believe the College of Engineering and Applied Science is on a positive trajectory,” he says. “I’ll continue to find the best ways that we can all work together -- faculty, staff, everyone -- to provide a superlative education for our students; engage in meaningful research; and perform service to our state, our country and our professions. With adversity comes opportunity, and it’s an exciting time for all of us to be a part of the college and the university.”

Wright’s areas of expertise are image processing, signal processing, biomedical instrumentation, real-time embedded computer systems, and wireless and satellite communications. He is director of the Wyoming Information, Signal Processing and Robotics Laboratory.

In addition to his exceptional research record, Wright has been the recipient of numerous awards for excellence in teaching. He is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a member of the American Society for Engineering Education; National Society of Professional Engineers; International Society for Optical Engineering; Biomedical Engineering Society; and Rocky Mountain Bioengineering Symposium Board of Directors.

Wright holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Texas-Austin, an M.S. in electrical engineering from Purdue University, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from Louisiana Tech University. He served for 30 years in the U.S. military, enlisting in the Navy at the age of 17 and retiring as a lieutenant colonel from the Air Force in 2003.