John Lach
John Lach
Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Contact:
1918 F Street NW
John Lach has served as Dean of GW’s School of Engineering and Applied Science since August 2019. He also served as GW's Interim Provost 2025-2026. Dean Lach joined GW Engineering from the University of Virginia, where he served as the director of cross-cutting initiatives at the university’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and as a professor of electrical and computer engineering in the Charles L. Brown Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He previously served as the chair of the department. He was the co-founder of the UVA Link Lab and was Associate Director for Translational Research for the NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST).
Throughout his career, Dean Lach has worked extensively with departments, schools, and initiatives to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration that supports strategic priorities. As a researcher, he focuses on wireless technologies in health. His primary research interests are cyber-physical systems, embedded sensor systems, smart and connected health, and body sensor networks. He has been the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than 35 grants totaling over $57 million in research funding.
Interim Provost Lach received his Bachelor of Science degree from Stanford University and his Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from UCLA.
- B.S., Stanford University, 1996
- M.S., UCLA, 1998
- Ph.D., UCLA, 2000
- Cyber-physical systems
- Embedded sensor systems
- Smart and connected health
- Body sensor networks
- Senior Member, IEEE
- Associate editor, ACM Transactions on Computing for Healthcare (2018-present)
- Past associate editor, IEEE Transactions on Computers, and the IEEE Transactions on Computer Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems
- School of Engineering and Applied Science Distinguished Faculty Award (University of Virginia, 2016)
- All-University Teaching Award (University of Virginia, 2005)
(Partial Listing of Awards)
- Best Student Paper Award, IEEE International Conference on Body Sensor Networks (2019)
- Best Poster Award, IEEE Conference on Biomedical and Health Informatics (2018)
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Leadership Award (2018)
- UVA School of Engineering and Applied Science Distinguished Faculty Award (2016)
- Best Paper Award Finalist (2 papers), Wireless Health (2016)
- Best Paper Award Finalist, IEEE International Conference on Body Sensor Networks (2015)
- Best Paper Award Finalist, IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Low Power Electronics and Design (2015)
- Best Paper Award, International Conference on Body Area Networks (2014)
- Best Demo Award, Wireless Health (2014)
- Best Student Paper Award, International Conference on Body Area Networks (2013)
- Best Paper Award, Wireless Health (2011)
- Best Paper Award Finalist, Wireless Health (2011)
- Winner, DAC/ISSCC Student Design Contest (2011)
- Best Poster Paper Award, Government Microcircuit Applications & Critical Technology Conference (2011)