Author Profile
Sweta Sarkar | Senior Associate Dean of Global Campus at San Diego State University
Current Position and Past Experience
Dr. Mahasweta Sarkar is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Senior Associate Dean of Global Campus at San Diego State University (SDSU). A lifelong engineering educator, researcher, and academic leader, she is recognized for advancing innovation at the intersection of higher education, workforce development, global engagement, and technology.
As Senior Associate Dean, Dr. Sarkar co-leads SDSU Global Campus, a $42 million academic innovation enterprise that serves more than 5,000 learners annually. She provides strategic and operational leadership for a broad portfolio encompassing academic programs, market intelligence and program design, research and workforce development grant acquisition, student success advising, international partnerships, and global outreach. She directly supervises 18 senior leaders and professional staff—including Senior Executive Directors and Directors —across San Diego and SDSU’s international engineering campus in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Under her leadership, SDSU Global Campus has expanded its role as a catalyst for educational access, workforce readiness, lifelong learning, and international engagement. Dr. Sarkar has spearheaded initiatives that strengthen partnerships with industry, government, and academic institutions worldwide, while advancing innovative degree pathways, transnational education models, and globally accessible learning opportunities. Her leadership philosophy is grounded in student-centered excellence, experiential education, inclusive ecosystems, and meaningful collaboration with industry and community partners.
She directs SDSU’s Wireless Networks and Communication (WINC) Laboratory, which brings together undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and visiting researchers from around the world. In addition, she has served as Technical Program Chair for multiple premier IEEE conferences and as a guest editor for leading journals in communications and networking.
A passionate advocate for broadening participation in STEM, Dr. Sarkar founded and chaired the College of Engineering’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and served as the college’s liaison to university-wide diversity councils. She is also a Fulbright Specialist, a distinction awarded by the U.S. Department of State, through which she has fostered international academic collaborations and educational capacity-building initiatives across the globe.
Through her combined roles as scholar, educator, and senior academic executive, Dr. Sarkar is helping shape the future of higher education by expanding access to high-quality learning, strengthening workforce and industry partnerships, and advancing SDSU’s global presence and impact.
Education, Honors, and Achievements
Dr. Sarkar earned her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego. Her research focuses on wireless networks, with particular emphasis on developing artificial intelligence-driven MAC-layer algorithms for applications in precision agriculture, healthcare systems, and brain-computer interfaces. She has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications, several of which have received best-paper awards, and holds a U.S. patent. Throughout her career, she has contributed to more than $100 million in externally funded research and workforce development initiatives.
Dr. Sarkar’s contributions to scholarship, leadership, and service have been recognized through numerous honors, including the SDSU President’s Leadership Award, the Faculty Excellence Award in Diversity and Inclusion, and the Distinguished Faculty Award—one of the university’s highest recognitions for sustained excellence and impact.
Dr. Mahasweta Sarkar is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Senior Associate Dean of Global Campus at San Diego State University (SDSU). A lifelong engineering educator, researcher, and academic leader, she is recognized for advancing innovation at the intersection of higher education, workforce development, global engagement, and technology.
As Senior Associate Dean, Dr. Sarkar co-leads SDSU Global Campus, a $42 million academic innovation enterprise that serves more than 5,000 learners annually. She provides strategic and operational leadership for a broad portfolio encompassing academic programs, market intelligence and program design, research and workforce development grant acquisition, student success advising, international partnerships, and global outreach. She directly supervises 18 senior leaders and professional staff—including Senior Executive Directors and Directors —across San Diego and SDSU’s international engineering campus in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Under her leadership, SDSU Global Campus has expanded its role as a catalyst for educational access, workforce readiness, lifelong learning, and international engagement. Dr. Sarkar has spearheaded initiatives that strengthen partnerships with industry, government, and academic institutions worldwide, while advancing innovative degree pathways, transnational education models, and globally accessible learning opportunities. Her leadership philosophy is grounded in student-centered excellence, experiential education, inclusive ecosystems, and meaningful collaboration with industry and community partners.
She directs SDSU’s Wireless Networks and Communication (WINC) Laboratory, which brings together undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and visiting researchers from around the world. In addition, she has served as Technical Program Chair for multiple premier IEEE conferences and as a guest editor for leading journals in communications and networking.
A passionate advocate for broadening participation in STEM, Dr. Sarkar founded and chaired the College of Engineering’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and served as the college’s liaison to university-wide diversity councils. She is also a Fulbright Specialist, a distinction awarded by the U.S. Department of State, through which she has fostered international academic collaborations and educational capacity-building initiatives across the globe.
Through her combined roles as scholar, educator, and senior academic executive, Dr. Sarkar is helping shape the future of higher education by expanding access to high-quality learning, strengthening workforce and industry partnerships, and advancing SDSU’s global presence and impact.
Education, Honors, and Achievements
Dr. Sarkar earned her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego. Her research focuses on wireless networks, with particular emphasis on developing artificial intelligence-driven MAC-layer algorithms for applications in precision agriculture, healthcare systems, and brain-computer interfaces. She has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications, several of which have received best-paper awards, and holds a U.S. patent. Throughout her career, she has contributed to more than $100 million in externally funded research and workforce development initiatives.
Dr. Sarkar’s contributions to scholarship, leadership, and service have been recognized through numerous honors, including the SDSU President’s Leadership Award, the Faculty Excellence Award in Diversity and Inclusion, and the Distinguished Faculty Award—one of the university’s highest recognitions for sustained excellence and impact.
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