Edward Rothwell (engineer)

Edward J. Rothwell (born 1957 in Grand Rapids, Michigan) is an American electrical engineer and Professor Emeritus at Michigan State University. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for his contributions to electromagnetics, particularly in antenna design and electromagnetic scattering. ^[1]

Education and career

Rothwell received an A.S. from Grand Rapids Community College in 1977, a B.S. in electrical engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1979, an M.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1980, an Engineer's degree from Stanford in 1982, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Michigan State University in 1985 under Kun-Mu Chen. ^{[1] [2]}

Before joining MSU, Rothwell worked at Raytheon from 1979 to 1982 on low power traveling-wave tubes and at MIT Lincoln Laboratory in 1985. ^[1] He joined Michigan State University as an assistant professor in 1985, became an associate professor in 1990, and a full professor in 1998. ^[1] He currently holds the Dennis P. Nyquist Professorship in Electromagnetics and is Professor Emeritus. ^{[3] [2]}

Rothwell is a member of the Electromagnetics Research Group at MSU and conducts research in antennas, electromagnetic scattering, radar target identification, electromagnetic theory, and electromagnetic measurements. ^[1]

Books

Rothwell is co-author of three textbooks with Michael J. Cloud:

• Electromagnetics (CRC Press, 2001; 3rd edition 2018) ^[4]
• Engineering Writing by Design: Creating Formal Documents of Lasting Value (CRC Press, 2014; 2nd edition 2020) ^[5]
• Engineering Speaking by Design: Delivering Technical Presentations with Real Impact (CRC Press, 2015) ^[6]

Awards and honors

• Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ^[1]
• Dennis P. Nyquist Professorship in Electromagnetics, Michigan State University ^[3]
• John D. Withrow Teaching Excellence Award, MSU College of Engineering (1991, 1996, 2006) ^[1]
• MSU Alumni Club of Mid-Michigan Quality in Undergraduate Teaching Award, 2003 ^[1]
• Best Technical Paper Award, Antenna Measurement Techniques Association Symposium, 2003 (joint recipient) ^[1]
• Southeast Michigan IEEE Section Award for Most Outstanding Professional, 2005 ^[1]
• Withrow Distinguished Scholar Award, MSU College of Engineering, 2007 ^[1]

References

1. "Edward J. Rothwell". Electromagnetics Research Group, Michigan State University. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
2. "Remembering the Distinguished Career of Kun-Mu Chen". Michigan State University College of Engineering. November 3, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
3. "Electromagnetics". Routledge. CRC Press. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
4. Rothwell, Edward J.; Cloud, Michael J. (2018). Electromagnetics (3rd ed.). CRC Press. ISBN   978-1498796569.
5. Rothwell, Edward J.; Cloud, Michael J. (2020). Engineering Writing by Design: Creating Formal Documents of Lasting Value (2nd ed.). CRC Press. ISBN   978-0367347543.
6. Rothwell, Edward J.; Cloud, Michael J. (2015). Engineering Speaking by Design: Delivering Technical Presentations with Real Impact. CRC Press. ISBN   978-1498705776.