All News

Jacob Barnhart receives DoD NDSEG Fellowship to investigate strong light-matter interactions

Barnhart and PhD advisor Alex Burgers will develop a platform for entangling multiple atoms on a single chip, or across longer distances.

Twenty Students Inducted into the 2024-2025 Excellence in ECE Honor Roll

These undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students have all taken time to improve the Michigan experience for fellow students and others.

Michigan hosts 7th annual Learning for Dynamics & Control Conference

The conference attracted 300 people from around the world to discuss the latest cross-disciplinary approaches in this new scientific area.

Qing Qu Receives 2025 Google Research Scholar Award for Developing Efficient Generative AI Models

Prof. Qu’s research aims to reduce the cost and complexity of fine-tuning and training large-scale foundation models, while advancing the accessibility and sustainability of high-performance generative AI.

Julia Gersey receives ACM SenSys 2025 Best Poster Award for work on sensing city environments

Gersey is integrating computer vision-based infrastructure analysis with mobile air quality monitoring to explore urban conditions that can affect human health.

Shubham Mondal awarded an SPIE Optics and Photonics Scholarship

Shubham Mondal has received a scholarship from the international society for optics and photonics to support his work on next-generation III-Nitride semiconductor devices.

Euisik Yoon named William G. Dow Collegiate Professor of EECS

Prof. Yoon has led pioneering research in neurotechnology to advance understanding of the brain, and in microfluidic biochips for cancer treatment.

Jay Guo named Emmett Leith Collegiate Professor of EECS

Prof. Guo has been a worldwide leader in nanoimprinting, nanostructure engineering, applications and manufacturing, while exploring a range of associated technology of interest to companies around the world.

Skanda Harisha receives Best Poster Award at IEEE RFID 2025 for work on tracking mmID tags

Harisha and PhD advisor Aline Eid developed a unique type of tag that can be localized using a radar system.

Efficiency upgrade for OLED screens: A route to blue PHOLED longevity

Commercial devices currently settle for less efficient blue OLEDs, but a set of design innovations has made an efficient blue that is as durable as efficient green OLEDs.

Advancing microelectronics and integrating sensor technologies

NAE profile of Prof. Kensall D. Wise

Advances in organic electronics and optoelectronics

NAE profile of Prof. Stephen R. Forrest

The US has a new most powerful laser

Hitting 2 petawatts, the NSF-funded ZEUS facility at U-M enables research that could improve medicine, national security, materials science and more.

Careful heating unlocks unprecedented sensitivity to pressure in semiconductor materials

A simple and scalable annealing method boosts the quality of materials used in cell phones, sensors and energy harvesting devices.

John Bowers honored with 23rd William Gould Dow Distinguished Lectureship

Bowers gave an overview of historical and current research on integrating silicon photonics and lasers into circuits.

U-M team’s genome sequencing breakthrough featured in CACM Research Highlights

Their work introduces a new computational framework that significantly increases the efficiency of genomic data processing.

RJ Jain: entrepreneur and champion of student research

RJ Jain, founder of Price.com and University of Michigan alumnus, is giving back by supporting the PURE-ECE program, helping undergraduate students engage in hands-on research and gain clarity about their future goals.

PURE-ECE takes off with successful pilot year, showcased at Undergraduate Research Symposium

A new research program incentivizes undergraduate students and faculty members to collaboratively tackle ambitious research projects.

Jeff Fessler named ISMRM Senior Fellow for outstanding work in image reconstruction

Fessler is recognized for his work advancing image reconstruction algorithms and ensuring their accessibility for other MRI researchers, improving patient care.

Alex Burgers receives NSF CAREER Award to advance quantum communications

Prof. Burgers will use atom-photon entanglement and nanophotonic structures to transmit quantum information over fiber optic cables.

Leland Pierce receives 2025 HKN Professor of the Year Award for ECE

Pierce, Associate Research Scientist and Lecturer, has spent the past decade honing his skills as an educator by putting students and their education first.

Electrical and Computer Engineering curriculum prepares students to join the AI revolution

As AI-related skills become more valuable in research and industry, ECE faculty weave these topics into courses spanning their educational journey.

Puffin Air Purifiers team are winners in national innovation competition

Rebecca Lentz and Rachel Silcox received $5K and additional mentorship from the VentureWell Accelerator program to develop their indoor CO2 monitor and air purifier technology.

2025 Undergraduate Student Awards

These students are recognized for their outstanding scholarship, research, service, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

 2025 CoE Staff-Faculty Partnership Award

Prof. Robert Dick is highly respectful of staff while freely praising their efforts and working as a partner to achieve goals.

Advanced microelectronics: Why a next-gen semiconductor doesn’t fall to pieces

The mechanism holding new ferroelectric semiconductors together produces a conductive pathway that could enable high power transistors.

Enabling stroke victims to “speak”: $19M toward brain implants to be built at U-M

Stroke victims may regain the ability to read, write and speak with the help of technology developed by David Blaauw and Cindy Chestek.

Julia Gersey receives DOE Fellowship supporting research to improve urban life

Gersey’s Computational Science Graduate Fellowship will be applied to the problem of homelessness using high-performance computing solutions.

Shelly Feldkamp receives 2025 Staff Excellence Award

Feldkamp combines technical excellence with an infectious joy in all her interactions with faculty, students, and staff.

A Q&A with new faculty member Junyi Zhu

Zhu is an assistant professor who works at the intersection of Human Computer Interaction, fabrication and novel sensing technologies for personalized health.

Alum Pin-Yu Chen receives 2024 Young Professional Industry Leadership Award

Chen received the award “for research and industry impact for machine learning robustness and AI safety.”

Best Student Paper Award for work in universal training of neural networks

ECE alum Mohammadreza Tavasoli Naeini, a former student of Prof. Al Hero, was first author on the paper and award recipient.

Cindy Finelli receives Cinda Sue Davis STEM Equity Leadership Award

Finelli has spent her career improving the education of engineering students through her own research, and by establishing centers and programs for teaching and learning at two different institutions.

A new type of slot antenna for NextG communications

The antenna, designed by doctoral student Aditya Varma Muppala and Prof. Kamal Sarabandi, is featured by IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

ECE Expeditions takes a tech tour of “The Hub”

The 8th cross-country voyage of the ECE Expeditions program took place in Boston, with visits to Analog Devices, MathWorks, Neurable, and SharkNinja.

Zetian Mi named Pallab K. Bhattacharya Collegiate Professor of Engineering

Mi is a worldwide leader in new materials and processes for next-generation microelectronic and optoelectronic devices, displays, clean fuels, and more.

Herbert Winful part of MURI team investigating AI-guided self-organization in nonlinear systems

Prof. Winful adds his unique expertise on the behavior of coupled semiconductor laser systems to a collaborative $9M project led by researchers at Yale University.

Q&A with Dennis Sylvester: New Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Michigan

University of Michigan’s incoming chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering talks about goals, challenges, and what’s special about ECE.

Dennis Sylvester named Peter and Evelyn Fuss Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Michigan

Sylvester is an internationally recognized leader in the area of ultra-low power integrated circuit design, entrepreneur, distinguished educator, and leader.

Zachary Fritts awarded Predoctoral Fellowship to support research on time-varying, electrically-small antennas

Fritts, Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering, is working on electrically-small antennas, with potential applications in telecommunications, health, and sensing.

Siyi Chen awarded Predoctoral Fellowship to support research on Controllable and Interpretable AI models

Chen, Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering, is working to improve the usability, safety, and reliability of AI systems in real-world applications.

Can Yaras awarded Predoctoral Fellowship to support research on deep learning and generative AI models

Yaras, Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering, is working to better understand the inner workings of deep learning and provide better access to foundation models in AI.

Ruya Karagulle awarded Predoctoral Fellowship to support research on human-centered autonomous systems

Karagulle, Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering, is working to provide human-centered approaches to autonomous systems, while ensuring their safety.

Somya Valecha receives Distinguished Academic Achievement Award

The award recognizes computer engineering student Somya Valecha for her outstanding academic record, exemplary character, and leadership as an undergraduate student.

Carl Landwehr Wins the 2025 CRA Distinguished Service Award

Dr. Landwehr is a cybersecurity research pioneer and national leader.

Nouman Khan receives the Professor Pierre T. Kabamba Award

Khan, PhD student in Electrical and Computer Engineering, received the award for graduate student excellence in control systems.

2025 EECS Outstanding Achievement Awards

The EECS Department has honored four faculty for their sustained excellence in instruction and curricular development, distinguished participation in service activities, or for their significant achievements in scholarly research.

Shubham Mondal receives Richard and Eleanor Towner Prize for Outstanding Ph.D. Research

The College of Engineering award recognizes ECE doctoral student Shubham Mondal for research impacting next-generation electronics.

Rachel Newton awarded Towner Prize for Distinguished Academic Achievement in ECE

The College of Engineering award recognizes ECE doctoral student Rachel Newton for outstanding achievements in research, leadership, and academics.

Naman Kabra receives Distinguished Leadership Award

The College of Engineering award recognized Electrical Engineering undergraduate student Naman Kabra for his outstanding leadership, especially on the Solar Car team.

Home AC units can balance the electrical grid without impacting comfort

A real-world frequency regulation experiment demonstrates that managing AC units can help actively balance electricity supply and demand.

Justin Ting receives Distinguished Leadership Award

The College of Engineering award recognizes Electrical and Computer Engineering PhD student Justin Ting for his impactful efforts bringing tech communities together for social good.

Amy Liu receives Distinguished Academic Achievement Award

The College of Engineering award recognizes Electrical Engineering student Amy Liu for outstanding academic record, exemplary character, and leadership as an undergraduate student.

Qing Qu receives U-M Chinese Heritage & Scholarship Junior Faculty Award

Prof. Qu joins the inaugural cohort of awardees recognized as emerging leaders in teaching, research, and service at U-M.

U-M awarded up to $7.5M to bring heat-tolerant semiconductors from lab to fab

Open-source effort led by Prof. Becky Peterson supports durable silicon carbide circuits that can operate at record high temperatures.

Magnetic switch traps quantum information carriers in one dimension

Innovations in quantum sensing and computing could follow the discovery of how chromium sulfide bromide responds to magnetic fields.

Andrew Owens named 2025 Sloan Research Fellow

Owens will use the Sloan Research Fellowship to support his research on the development and utility of computer vision systems that learn from multisensory data.

Research on time-varying, electrically-small antennas featured on IEEE TAP journal homepage

First author Zachary Fritts talks about the research in his newest paper, recently featured by IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

Zetian Mi receives 2025 Nick Holonyak Jr. Award from Optica

Mi is recognized for his innovations on wide energy gap nanostructures for light emission and energy generation applications.

Bridging gaps in rural health care with AI-powered mobile clinics

General practitioners with AI help could make diagnoses, run and interpret tests, and perform procedures like specialists.

Johanna Mathieu and Anna Stuhlmacher receive HICSS Best Paper Award for work on the potential of drinking water networks as flexible electric loads

The team found that drinking water distribution networks in the U.S. represent a sizable resource when used as flexible electric loads.

Heat2Power: a hot new startup that converts stored heat into electricity

Heat2Power, co-founded by Profs. Stephen Forrest and Andrej Lenert, uses high-efficiency, low-cost thermophotovoltaic technology to turn stored heat into energy.

Wei Lu named U-M Innovation Champion

As a university-wide leader in tech transfer, Lu will serve as a resource to help ECE faculty connect their research with real-world applications.

Jay Guo elected Fellow of Optica

Guo received his honor for his pioneering work and achievements in structural colors and flexible transparent conductors, and for sustained contributions leading to their commercialization.

Lisa Li wins IEEE TCNS Best Paper Award for work on guarantees for model predictive control

Prof. Li’s paper, published in IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems, provides guarantees for large networks with incomplete information access.

Laura Balzano honored with Sarah Goddard Power Award

The award recognizes Prof. Balzano’s advocacy for women in electrical engineering and mathematics through her work as a teacher, scholar, and mentor.

A Q&A with new faculty member Vladimir Dvorkin

Dvorkin is an assistant professor specializing in power systems engineering, economics and computation.

Solving computationally complex problems with Ising machines

A team led by Prof. Pinaki Mazumder is designing quantum-inspired architectures from silicon to solve difficult problems more efficiently than previously possible.

A Q&A with new faculty member Ziyou Song

Song is an assistant professor specializing in energy storage systems for electrified vehicles and renewable energy applications.

Six faculty receive 2025 Ted Kennedy Family Faculty Team Excellence Award

These six research scientists helped design, build, and implement the ZEUS laser facility, which is the highest power laser in the U.S.

Kamal Sarabandi receives H. Scott Fogler Award for Professional Leadership and Service

Prof. Sarabandi’s decades-long contributions to the professional community have had a profound impact on the field of applied electromagnetics.

Boosting AI model size and training speed with lightwave-connected chips

AI growth is capped by data transfer rates between computing chips, but transferring data with light could remove the ceiling.

Zetian Mi receives Wise-Najafi Prize for Engineering Excellence in the Miniature World

Prof. Mi has made seminal contributions to wideband semiconductors and their applications in green energy, disinfection, and electronic devices.

Peter Seiler receives CoE Monroe-Brown Foundation Education Excellence Award

Prof. Seiler has had a major positive impact on the education of students inside and outside the classroom.

Heath Hofmann receives 2025 Herbert Kopf Service Excellence Award

Prof. Hofmann excelled during his term as Associate Chair for Graduate Affairs.

Zheshen Zhang receives 2025 Ernest and Bettine Kuh Distinguished Faculty Award

This award honors Zhang’s exemplary research, teaching, and service relating to quantum systems engineering.

Light, flexible and radiation-resistant: organic solar cells for space

Some carbon-based solar cells already show no drop in performance after three years’ worth of radiation, and the cause of degradation in others could be preventable.

Seven ECE staff honored with 2024 College of Engineering Staff Incentive Awards

Amy Brooks, Jessi Cebulski, Lisa Flick, Patrick McCollum, Chris Puzzuoli, Michele Ruffino, and Grant Young received these awards for their contributions to the ECE community.

Hamed Alkhathami receives Rackham International Student Fellowship

Alkhathami’s master’s work explores the application of quantum principles to optimize signal processing systems.