Dr. Kulhandjian Joins Faculty

Elena Sarmazian

Staff Writer

Fresno State welcomed a new Armenian faculty member in Fall 2015. Dr. Hovannes Kulhandjian, who specializes in digital signal processing, wireless communication and networking, joined the campus as an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and is now in his second semester of teaching.

Dr. Kulhandjian was born in Gyumri, Armenia, but in 1988, in the year of the catastrophic earthquake that struck Armenia, Kulhandjian’s family moved to Georgia. Not long after, the family relocated once more, this time to Egypt, due to political upheaval in Georgia. Dr. Kulhandjian’s family moved to the United States when his brother, Michel, and he decided to pursue a Ph.D. in electrical engineering in Buffalo, New York.

Kulhandjian’s fascination with science and engineering was sparked at a young age in large part due to his father. “My father had a big impact on my brother and I from childhood,” said Dr. Kulhandjian. “He would teach us mathematics and physics so we were enthusiastic about engineering.”

Fulfilling his childhood dream, Kulhandjian studied Electronics Engineering at the American University in Cairo (AUC). After graduating with high honors from the AUC, he was accepted to the State University of New York at Buffalo to pursue a Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering, specializing in signal processing and wireless networking.

Despite living and studying outside of Armenia for most of his life, Dr. Kulhandjian has held firm to his Armenian culture for which he credits his parents. “Throughout my life…my parents have always encouraged my brother and I to always speak the Armenian language at home,” said Dr. Kulhandjian. “I have to say it was challenging, but it was very well worth it because that is how we were able to preserve the Armenian language and our Armenian identity.”

Maintaining ties to the Armenian culture was a motivating factor in Kulhandjian’s search for a teaching position at a university. “After completing my Ph.D., I applied for several tenure-track faculty positions mainly in California because of its large Armenian community,” stated Kulhandjian.

“Prior to applying to Fresno State,” continued Kulhandjian, “I had visited Fresno for over a month last year and I established strong ties with the Armenian community. The people were very welcoming and I loved Fresno, which was one of the driving forces that attracted me to relocate to here. Later, I found out that Fresno State had a tenure-track faculty opening, so I applied immediately.”

At Fresno State, Dr. Kulhandjian continues to work on cutting edge research in underwater wireless communications and networking, focusing on developing new algorithms to improve the limitations of underwater wireless technology.

In his spare time, Dr. Kulhandjian participates in events organized by the Armenian community and the Armenian Studies Program. “I find Fresno to be close to home,” concluded Dr. Kulhandjian.