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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.

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.

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.

Jesse Codling receives ACM BuildSys 2024 paper award for work on heart rate monitoring

Codling’s project, aptly named “FloHR,” uses geophones to measure human heart rate through floor vibrations in home environments.

Andrew Owens receives NSF CAREER Award for research to improve machine perception systems

Prof. Owens’ research will help fully autonomous systems interact with their environments without human supervision.

Pei Zhang will contribute to a new NSF Center for Insights into the Pre-Emergence Phase of Pandemics

Prof. Zhang will develop sensor systems to model the movement and risk factors of animal populations in disease spread as part of the interdisciplinary NSF center.

Aline Eid receives MTRAC Award to commercialize radar vision for autonomous indoor navigation

Prof. Eid will partner with the industry startup Atheraxon to market technology for automated guided vehicles in warehouse environments and beyond.

Hun-Seok Kim appointed as inaugural Samuel H. Fuller Early Career Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Prof. Kim is a world leader in efficient algorithm and VLSI design for wireless communication, signal processing, computer vision, and machine learning.

Kamal Sarabandi honored as inaugural IEEE AP-S Legend of Electromagnetics

The newly established “Legends of Electromagnetics” program recognizes outstanding members of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society for their impact on the field.

Wireless and battery-free sensors for sustainable smart cities

The sensors will provide real-time data for smart decision-making by allowing the natural environment and the built environment to communicate seamlessly.

Kaleo Roberts awarded fellowship for remote sensing research that could aid crop management

Roberts creates methods to better estimate the radar backscatter from corn fields, which could improve the accuracy of global biomass and soil moisture maps derived from radar observations.

Aline Eid seeks to better perceive the world using a 5G Wireless Power Grid

Prof. Eid is looking to design the future of smart cities and infrastructures using ultra-low power wireless sensing and communications technologies.

Kamal Sarabandi honored with 2024 IEEE Electromagnetics Award

Sarabandi is recognized for his outstanding contributions to the theory and application of electromagnetics.

Jesse Codling wins Best Presentation award for sensors that help protect these little piggies in their pens

Known affectionately as “The Sh*tty Project,” Codling, an ECE PhD student, monitors the vibrations in pig pens to track the health of the piglets and predict when they’re in danger.

Three ECE students awarded Rackham fellowships

Cheng-Hsun Lu, Shih-Chi Liao, and Jiale Zhang have been awarded the Rackham International Students Fellowship/Chia-Lun Lo Fellowship.

New understanding of neurons in the hippocampus: they’re all the same

A longstanding collaboration between engineers and neuroscientists leads to new insights into how neurons work in the hippocampus.

Three members of ECE will represent U-M at the 2021 Rising Stars in EECS Workshop

PhD students Sijia Geng, Bahareh Hadidian, and Nasimeh Heydaribeni will participate in the intensive workshop that brings together outstanding women and gender minorities interested in pursuing academic careers in EECS.

$1.8M to develop room temperature, controllable quantum nanomaterials

The project could pave the way for compact quantum computing and communications as well as efficient UV lamps for sterilization and air purification.

Anthony England, former NASA astronaut, professor, and dean, retires

England has dedicated more than two decades of his distinguished career helping students reach for the stars to understand more about Earth and other planets.

Fawwaz Ulaby retires after nearly four decades of championing students and excelling at research and leadership

Students say Ulaby, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and recipient of the Edison Medal, is one of the best professors – and people – they’ve ever known.

Using remote sensing to track microplastics in the ocean

Electrical Engineering undergrad Madeline Evans is a key researcher on a project that uses NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System to monitor microplastic pollution that harms marine ecosystems.

Pei Zhang solemnly swears that he’s up to some good

In a project he calls the “Marauder’s Map,” Prof. Zhang uses machine learning-based data models, physics models, and heuristic models to turn physical structures into sensing devices.

Sensor takes guesswork out of N95 decontamination

A new wireless system can sense when N95 facemasks are properly decontaminated in moist-heat.

Demba Komma awarded Microsoft Research Ada Lovelace Fellowship for research on IoT localization technologies

Komma, a PhD student, is working to develop robust low powered localization technology for Artificial Intelligence enabled Internet of Things in locations where GPS is limited or blocked.

Kaleo Roberts receives scholarship from the American Indian Science and Engineering Society

Roberts works to improve remote sensing of soil moisture, which is important for environmental conservation, natural resource management, and agriculture.

Tracking Monarch Butterfly Migration with the World’s Smallest Computer

In a project funded by National Geographic, ECE researchers are teaming up with the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology to advance our understanding of monarch butterfly migration with the most ambitious iteration of the Michigan Micro Mote yet.

Detecting environmental pollutants with a smaller, portable, fully electric gas chromatograph

Prof. Yogesh Gianchandani and Dr. Yutao Qin received an “Outstanding Paper Award” for their fully electronic micro gas chromatography system.

Autonomous well monitoring solution recognized with a Best Innovators award

The WAND wireless sensor developed in a collaboration between Total, an oil & gas company, and the University of Michigan is revolutionizing well monitoring

Ester Bentley receives NDSEG Fellowship to help the world navigate without GPS

PhD student Ester Bentley designs smaller, better 3D mechanical resonators for use in high-performance gyroscopes to help unmanned systems navigate when GPS signal is jammed or lost.

Wireless sensors for N95 masks could enable easier, more accurate decontamination

“The technology can give users the confidence they deserve when reusing respirators or other PPE.”

Zhanni Wu awarded Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship

Wu is working on advanced metasurfaces, which could help next-generation wireless communication, commercial and military radar systems, imaging, and antenna systems.

Tianlin Wang recognized with Towner Prize and Distinguished Leadership Award

The College of Engineering honors ECE PhD candidate Tianlin Wang for his excellent research in remote sensing as well as his leadership and service to the community.

Leung Tsang elected to the National Academy of Engineering

A professor of electrical engineering and computer science is awarded one of engineering’s top honors.

Electrify goes to Detroit

Electrify hosted its first Detroit Tech Camp at the Michigan Engineering Zone this summer to give Detroit-area students greater access to engage with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Kamal Sarabandi welcomes Emperor and Empress of Japan at IGARSS 2019

Predicting future disasters is an important goal of those participating in the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium

Beyond Apollo 11: U-M ECE’s role in advancing space exploration

For the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, U-M ECE takes a look back – and a look forward – to how our professors, students, and alums have made their mark on the field.

Huanting Huang improves accuracy of remote sensing

Huang won the Best Student Paper Award at the IEEE International Conference on Computational Electromagnetics for her work developing better electromagnetic models that calculate microwave interactions with tree and vegetation cover.

A high-efficiency GaAs solar cell to power the Internet of Tiny Things

The Michigan Micro Mote gets a new gallium arsenide solar cell for added power and adaptability.

Time-varying metamaterials for next generation communication, sensing, and defense systems

With $7.5M MURI grant, Professor Anthony Grbic is developing metamaterials for a new generation of integrated electromagnetic and photonic systems.

Laura Balzano receives ARO Young Investigator Award to improve high-dimensional big data problems

Applications include managing large networked systems, such as sensor networks, power grids, or computer networks.

Conducting an orchestra of sensor nodes

Keeping time in the Internet of Things with frequency scaling

Deciphering GPS satellites to see inside hurricanes

To dial in on exact wind speeds, researchers needed to reverse engineering the signals from satellites.

An even smaller world’s smallest ‘computer’

The latest from IBM and now the University of Michigan is redefining what counts as a computer at the microscale.

Jiyue Zhu awarded Wiesnet Medal for improved snow algorithms

An award-winning method will help us better understand how much snow is on the ground.

Professor Leung Tsang Receives 2018 Van de Hulst Award

Prof. Tsang is a world-renowned expert in the field of theoretical and computational electromagnetics, and in particular microwave remote sensing of the earth.

A shoe-box-sized chemical detector

Powered by a broadband infrared laser, the device can zero in on the ‘spectral fingerprint region’.

New funding for high-fidelity nerve mapping research

SPARC awarded $1M to a U-M project developing better nerve mapping.

Student’s digital art makes the Cube even more interactive

Keenan Rebara hopes to add to the fun of spinning the Cube using his a bit of physics and sensors.

IGARSS Interactive Symposium Paper Award for modeling the world’s forests

The paper outlines a better way to quantify forest structure, which has been successful in two tree species.

$7.75M for mapping circuits in the brain

A new NSF Tech Hub will put tools to rapidly advance our understanding of the brain into the hands of neuroscientists.

Rick Bergman, CEO of Synaptics – giving tech a sense of touch

ECE alum Rick Bergman, CEO of Synaptics, is working to make tomorrow’s technology user friendly, safe, and reliable. The company hopes to lead what they call “the human interface revolution.”

Behzad Yektakhah earns paper award for research in seeing through walls

Yektakhah’s system improves on the speed, portability, and accuracy of many commercial models

Michigan’s millimeter-scale computers featured at ISSCC2017, and in IEEE Spectrum

Professors Blaauw and Sylvester showcase capabilities of tiny computing

Sensors from head to toe – Todd Coleman makes measuring health simpler

Prof. Todd Coleman’s group is tackling the challenging problem of getting high-fidelity monitoring to work affordably at home.

Kamal Sarabandi elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

The AAAS seeks to advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people.

Student Arun Nagpal develops new ENG 100 section to spotlight space science

UM-SEDS co-President Arun Nagpal develops ENG 100 section to expose freshman to space science and atmospheric sensing.

Professor to Congress: ‘Internet of Things security is woefully inadequate’

Michigan Engineering professor Kevin Fu spoke in front of congress on Nov. 16, 2016.

The Michigan Probe: Changing the Course of Brain Research

Some believed early Michigan brain researchers were engaging in “science fiction” – until development of an advanced tool for forging breakthroughs proved them wrong.

A new, low-cost way to monitor snow and ice thickness to evaluate environmental change

Mohammad has developed a new way to remotely measure the thickness of ice and snow with a technology he calls wideband autocorrelation radiometry (WiBAR).

Injectable computers can broadcast from inside the body

This platform has enabled a variety of sensors that can fit inside the human body, made possible by several breakthroughs in ultra-low power computing.

Alfred O. Hero, III named John H. Holland Distinguished University Professor of EECS

Hero is honored for his extraordinary accomplishments that have brought distinction to himself, his students, and to the entire University.

Xiang Yin earns Pre-Doc Fellowship for research in cyber-physical systems

Xiang’s research focuses on developing new methods to synthesize different control and sensing strategies in a discrete-event system.

Avish Kosari selected as Barbour Scholar for Research in low-power devices for the Internet of Things

Avish conducts research on ultra-low power and battery-less integrated circuits.

Necmiye Ozay receives CAREER award for research in cyber-physical systems

Cyber-physical systems are smart, networked systems with embedded sensors, processors, and actuators that are designed to interact with the physical world.

Kamal Sarabandi receives Stephen S. Attwood award

The Stephen S. Attwood award is the highest honor awarded to a faculty member by the College of Engineering. Prof. Sarabandi has shaped the field of radar remote sensing for more than twenty years.

Googling the physical world

IoT applications are the next wave of computing and the next driving force of the semiconductor industry. The startup PsiKick [now Everactive] is helping shape this future.

A real-world approach to digital signal processing

Students could use sensors or other data collection tools to pursue a goal of their choosing.

Four EECS companies make Crain’s list of most innovative companies, and one tops the list

This annual ranking of innovative companies in SE Michigan is based on the quality of patents received during the past year.

Researching the future of remote sensing

Directed by Kamal Sarabandi the new program aims to create theoretical models for remote sensing of ice and snow.

Steven Parkison earns NSF Fellowship to design tools for the future of autonomous cars

The goal of Steven’s research is to improve vision-based perception systems on cars and to create an extra layer of safety.

New Michigan-Saudi Arabia collaboration promises exciting new research – beginning with the auto industry

KACST will provide manpower and will collaborate with Michigan faculty and students on their projects.

Alyssa Kody earns NSF Fellowship for research in energy harvesting and wireless sensing

The small-scale embedded wireless systems Alyssa works with are used in a variety of applications spanning many fields; from structural to ocean engineering.

Silicon valley entrepreneurs help bring WIMS2 technology to the world

Shahin and Sassan discussed everything from the acquisition trends of small vs. large companies to the importance of building a team with a range of expertise.

Researchers build groundbreaking device for NASA SMAP mission

The SMAP mission is NASA’s most ambitious sensing project yet for measuring global soil moisture levels.

Kamal Sarabandi elected President of IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society

The IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society is a remote sensing organization with more than 3700 members around the globe.

Becky Peterson awarded DARPA Young Faculty Award to investigate new materials for power semiconductor devices

Prof. Peterson’s findings could be used in wireless sensing and actuation systems, including those that deal with monitoring of the environment and medical conditions.

Khalil Najafi receives 2015 IEEE Daniel E. Noble Award for emerging technologies

The IEEE Daniel E. Noble award is a Technical Field Award, which is among the highest awards given.

ECE welcomes four new faculty for 2014-15 academic year

These faculty deepen ECE’s areas of expertise in computer vision, communications and information theory, environmental remote sensing, and laser-plasma interactions.

Jiangfeng Wu receives Best Paper Award for research in safe fracking

The Mikio Takagi Student Prize is given to the top three Student Prize Paper Awards granted at the IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.

T-ray converts light to sound for weapons detection, medical imaging

U-M researchers demonstrated a unique terahertz detector and imaging system that could bridge the terahertz gap.

Christopher Boyd awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

His research is contributing to the overall project goal of enabling navigation in GPS denied zones through the use of specialized sensors.

Paradigm shifting research advances in sensor technology

Girish’s research has resulted in a new paradigm in sensor technology that promises both high-speed and highly-sensitive detection.

Zhaoshi Meng receives Best Paper Award at CAMSAP 2013

This work will provide a way to efficiently reveal relationships between even distant entities in a network.

Research Spotlight: Better miniaturized vacuum pumps for electronics and sensors

The three microdevices created at Michigan are each particularly suited to specific applications.

Image processing 1,000 times faster is goal of new $5M contract

Lu plans to design and fabricate a computer chip based on so-called self-organizing, adaptive neural networks.

Jae Young Park receives Best Student Paper Award for research impacting structural health monitoring

SHM systems are critical for monitoring aging structures and infrastructure in a cost-effective manner.

Neural Probe Research recognized with Best Paper Award at 2013 Transducers Conference

“We present a novel strategy to scale up the number of electrodes with minimized risk.”

James McCullagh receives Best Student Paper Award for research to keep bridges safe

McCullagh is working to develop energy harvesting devices and circuits to power wireless sensor nodes which can monitor bridge health.

Research Spotlight: Sensors and actuators for portable microsystems

Though a number of research challenges remain to realize the potential of microdischarge-based devices, the authors’ work demonstrates their promise.

Mingyan Liu receives Best Paper Award at the 11th ACM/IEEE Conference on Information Processing in Sensor Networks

The goal is to be able to monitor the soil moisture with as few measurements as possible and with a high degree of accuracy.

Robots Building Better Maps: For robots and other mechanical creatures

Nick’s primary research involves creating algorithms that decipher what the cameras and lasers are detecting to generate a map.

Research Spotlight: 3-D electrical force fields manipulate microscale particles

The primary advance shown in this research as compared to earlier work is the successful use of a 3-D potential force field.

Fawwaz Ulaby Receives the IEEE James H. Mulligan Education Medal

The award recognizes Prof. Ulaby's contributions to undergraduate and graduate engineering education through innovative textbooks, dedicated mentoring of students, and inspirational teaching.

Raj Nadakuditi receives AFOSR Young Investigator Award

Prof. Nadakuditi plans to provide an analytical characterization of the fundamental limits of multi-modal sensing of weak signals.

New research program aims to make better “sense” of the world

Applications of this research range from soil sensors which allow for increased understanding of global climate change to futuristic sensory skins which can monitor the integrity of an object.

Research about resilient sensor networks for power plant monitoring is recognized with Best Track Paper Award

The sensor network addressed in the paper assesses the operating conditions of a power plant. It is intended to measure process variables and assess plant status.

Fikadu Dagefu receives 2011 Lincoln Lab Fellowship

The applications Dagefu’s research include wireless channel characterization, radar through-wall imaging, and distributed sensor networks.

A minimally-invasive brain implant to translate thoughts into movement

The implant is called the BioBolt, and unlike other neural interface technologies that establish a connection from the brain to an external device such as a computer, it’s minimally invasive and low power.

Kamal Sarabandi Receives Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award

He is honored for his excellence in research, mentorship, and contributions to professional organizations.

Clay Scott Receives CAREER Award for Research in Signal Processing

Sensing Sensors: NSF Funding News Ways to Monitor Infrastructure for Safety

The program aims to develop revolutionary wireless sensor node, optimized for infrastructure monitoring.

Michael Benson receives NASA Fellowship

For his research, Benson plans to utilize SAR in order to estimate variable vegetated parameters and monitor the planet’s crustal movement.

Al Hero Receives Digiteo Chaire d'Excellence

Hero's research will be applied to both gene regulation networks and ad hoc communications networks.

Kamal Sarabandi Receives Humboldt Research Award

The Humboldt Research Award is a highly competitive award granted to scientists and scholars from all disciplines.