UCSB Dedicates Engineering College to Robert Mehrabian
Hundreds attended a Nov. 3 ceremony at UC Santa Barbara honoring the former engineering dean and Teledyne executive chairman.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in People
UC Santa Barbara held a dedication event on Nov. 3 honoring Robert Mehrabian and unveiled a new sign outside the Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering building. Hundreds of people attended, including Nobel Laureates, and the school had been named for Mehrabian on June 12, 2025.
Why it matters
Mehrabian served as dean of the UCSB College of Engineering from 1983 to 1990 and recruited 69 faculty members during that time. The naming recognizes the role he played in building the engineering school's reputation in Santa Barbara and beyond.
Of the 69 faculty Robert Mehrabian recruited as UCSB engineering dean from 1983 to 1990, 21 went on to become members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, or the Royal Society. The source does not detail the number of attendees beyond describing hundreds of guests.
The players
Robert Mehrabian
Robert Mehrabian is the executive chairman of Teledyne Technologies, based in Thousand Oaks, and previously served as its CEO from 2000 to 2018.
Umesh Mishra
Umesh Mishra was Robert Mehrabian's last hire at UCSB and is now the current dean of engineering.
Henry Yang
Henry Yang served as UCSB chancellor from 1994 to 2025 and previously was engineering dean for 10 years at Purdue University.
The details
The dedication event took place on Nov. 3 at UC Santa Barbara and included a new sign outside the Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering building. Mehrabian built the college by recruiting faculty in carefully chosen domains, and later grew Teledyne Technologies through targeted acquisitions and talent hires.
Timeline
1983: Mehrabian became dean of the UCSB College of Engineering.
1983 to 1990: Mehrabian served as dean of the College of Engineering.
June 12, 2025: UCSB named its engineering school after Mehrabian.
Nov. 3, 2026: Dedication event held and new sign unveiled.
Legacy Building
Mehrabian's 1983 to 1990 deanship at UC Santa Barbara, in which he recruited 69 faculty, set the foundation the engineering school builds on today. The dedication formally places that recruitment legacy at the center of the college's identity.
Students and faculty in Santa Barbara's engineering programs now study under a college named for the dean who recruited many of its founding researchers. The naming reflects a formal institutional recognition that may shape how the school is identified going forward.
The takeaway
Long-term institutional growth often traces back to a small number of carefully chosen hires made in a single decade. Recognizing those hires publicly can help keep that standard visible for future leaders.
Further reading
Explore more People coverage from across Santa Barbara.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Pacific Coast Business Times | Proudly serving Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
