Dr. Elias Towe

Professor

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Biography

Elias Towe was educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, receiving S.B., S.M., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He is a Vinton Hayes Fellow and has been a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University since 2001. Before joining Carnegie Mellon, he was a professor in Electrical Computer Engineering at the University of Virginia and served as a Program Manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. His current research focuses on basic optical quantum phenomena and their applications in novel photonic devices, aiming to enable a new generation of information processing systems for communication, computation, and sensing. His group's research also explores new pathways for understanding fundamental mechanisms in solar energy conversion devices. Notable examples of his work include developing quantum-dot infrared detectors, electrically pumped photonic crystal micro-cavity lasers, multispectral solar energy conversion devices, plasmonic bio-sensors, and fluorescence bio-sensing devices.

Research Interests

Requirements for Carnegie Mellon University

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.5
GRE General
Verbal
Required:158
Quantitative
Required:149
Analytical Writing
Required:4
Overall
Required:4
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in Psychology or related field Research experience/publications
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Transcripts
  • GRE scores (optional but reported in profile)
  • English Proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo)
Specialization Notes

Admission is extremely competitive with no strict GPA cut-offs; holistic review is used.