Rate My Professor Randy Curry

Randy D. Curry is a Logan Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He earned his BSEE and MSEE degrees from Texas Tech University in 1982 and 1984, respectively, and his PhD from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 1994. Prior to joining the University of Missouri in 1995, Curry served as a Member of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories, conducting research in high power pulsed power systems and high power electromagnetics. From 1995 to 2001, he was the Program Manager for Pulsed Power Sciences at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At the University of Missouri, he established and directed the Center for Physical and Power Electronics, leading interdisciplinary research efforts in advanced power technologies.

Curry's research specializations include high power pulsed power systems, high power microwave sources, high voltage engineering, high dielectric constant materials, and plasma physics. He has authored or co-authored over 137 publications, including numerous papers in IEEE Pulsed Power Conferences and journals on topics such as dielectric studies for high energy density capacitors, metamaterial composites for compact high power RF sources, and non-destructive current simulators for flux compression generators. Notable patents include Nanocomposites (U.S. Patent 10,336,661, 2019), Magnetic Diode (U.S. Patent 10,403,810, 2019), and Radiolytic Electrochemical Generator (U.S. Patent 10,566,638, 2020), among more than 20 inventions commercialized through university technology transfer. His contributions to the field are recognized with the Air Force Meritorious Civilian Service Medal and the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society Gerald R. Ford Award for Pulsed Power Science and Technology. Curry chaired the 2011 IEEE International Pulsed Power Conference and served as guest editor for special issues on pulsed power science and technology, influencing advancements in energy storage, directed energy systems, and non-lethal weapons technologies.