Professor Marilyn C. Wolf Shapes Next Generation of Embedded Engineers

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor shares insights on teaching critical hardware and software skills for the evolving embedded computing industry.

Published on Feb. 3, 2026

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Marilyn Wolf, the Elmer E. Koch Professor of Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is shaping the next generation of embedded systems engineers. With decades of experience in the field, including time at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Wolf emphasizes the importance of balancing hardware and software knowledge, understanding real-time performance, low power computing, and the scope of complex embedded projects. As the embedded industry continues to evolve with AI and machine learning, Wolf believes hands-on experience and collaborative skills are crucial for students entering the workforce.

Why it matters

Embedded computing is a critical and rapidly evolving field, powering the technologies that fill our daily lives. Ensuring the next generation of engineers are well-equipped with both technical and collaborative skills is key to maintaining progress in areas like IoT, edge computing, and embedded computer vision.

The details

Wolf found her interest in design challenges while working at AT&T Bell Laboratories in the 1980s, where her research group on VLSI design automation was tasked with helping a consumer telephone group develop an affordable and innovative integrated circuit solution. This experience highlighted the need for a balanced understanding of hardware and software issues in embedded systems. Today, Wolf emphasizes teaching students about real-time behavior, low power computing, parallel and distributed computing - all essential for modern embedded systems. She also notes the challenge of grasping the scope of embedded projects with millions of lines of code from disparate sources.

  • Wolf joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty in the mid to late 1980s.
  • She began her career working at AT&T Bell Laboratories in the 1980s.

The players

Marilyn Wolf

The Elmer E. Koch Professor of Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with decades of experience in the embedded computing industry including time at AT&T Bell Laboratories.

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What they’re saying

“Embedded computing requires a balanced understanding of hardware and software issues... real-time performance depends not just on the software design, but also on the characteristics of the hardware platform…Low energy computing is essentially tied to a lot of software characteristics, but it also depends upon the capabilities and characteristics of the underlying hardware platform.”

— Marilyn Wolf, Professor (embeddedcomputing.com)

“I think that engineering requires experience, right? And giving students a balance of fundamentals and practical examples that illustrate those fundamentals is important… [In] real-world systems engineering is a team sport, and our students need to have the collaborative skills and communication skills that are needed for these large projects, as well as the associated technical skills.”

— Marilyn Wolf, Professor (embeddedcomputing.com)

What’s next

Wolf continues to lead the embedded systems engineering program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, preparing the next generation of engineers for the evolving challenges in this critical industry.

The takeaway

As embedded computing becomes increasingly complex with the rise of AI, machine learning, and distributed systems, ensuring students develop a balanced understanding of hardware and software as well as collaborative skills is crucial for meeting the industry's growing workforce needs.