Editors’ Note: This feature appears as it was published in the summer 2021 edition of UT Dallas Magazine. Titles or faculty members listed may have changed since that time.
Dr. Louis “Bob” Hunt, professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering who conducted research for NASA and helped launch the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at UT Dallas, passed away Jan. 28, 2021. He was 78.
Hunt was known for his pioneering work in the 1980s that paved the way for dynamic control systems that make operations such as automated flight control possible. Hunt, who retired in 2009, was a beloved instructor who in 2003 received a UT System Chancellor’s Council Outstanding Teaching Award. He was also a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
“Dr. Hunt was world renowned for his work in applied mathematics and nonlinear control theory,” said Dr. Lawrence J. Overzet, department head and professor of electrical and computer engineering (ECE). “He actively promoted the growth of ECE and was an extraordinary educator at all levels.”
Hunt joined UT Dallas as a mathematics professor in 1984 and two years later helped form the Jonsson School. In addition, he served as department head of mathematical sciences from 1992 to 1994.
After his retirement, Hunt and others formed a company, Cirasys, through the UT Dallas Venture Development Center to develop technology they invented and patented to convert power from sources such as wall plugs or batteries into voltage needed by electronic devices.
-Kim Horner
