Leo Kempel

Leo C. Kempel (born October 1965) is an American electrical engineer and University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for his contributions to conformal antenna design and electromagnetic composite materials, and served as the ninth dean of the MSU College of Engineering from 2014 to 2024.

Education and career Kempel received a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 1989, where he participated in a cooperative education program at General Dynamics. He received an M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1990 and a Ph.D. from Michigan in 1994. During his tenure as dean, the college's faculty expanded from 204 to 300 members and student enrollment grew from 4,500 to over 7,000.

Awards and honors Withrow Distinguished Scholar Award, MSU College of Engineering, 2001 MSU Teacher-Scholar Award, 2002 Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2009 Dennis P. Nyquist Endowed Professorship in Electromagnetics, Michigan State University, 2020 Robert F. Banks Award for Institutional Leadership, Michigan State University, 2023 ECE Distinguished Alumni Educator Award, University of Michigan, 2024