UCLA Electrical Engineering Department

Professor Kaiser received a PhD in Solid State Physics from Wayne State University in 1984. From 1977 through 1986, as a member of Ford Motor Co. Research Staff, his development of automotive sensor and embedded system technology resulted in large volume commercial sensor production. At Ford, he also developed the first spectroscopies based on scanning tunneling microscopy. From 1986 through 1994, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dr. Kaiser developed and demonstrated the first electron tunnel sensors for acceleration and infrared detection and initiated the NASA/JPL microinstrument program.

In 1994, Professor Kaiser joined the faculty of the UCLA Electrical Engineering Department. At UCLA, he initiated the distributed networked embedded sensor field via many large collaborative programs across several departments. These combined UCLA research activities have now lead to the creation of many new programs within DARPA, NSF, NASA, and in commercial technology corporations. He served as Electrical Engineering Department Chairman from 1996 through 2000. Dr. Kaiser has over 100 publications, 100 invited presentations and 21 patents. He has received the Allied Signal Faculty Research Award, the Peter Mark Award of the American Vacuum Society, the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement, the Arch Colwell Best Paper Award of the Society of Automotive Engineers, and two R&D 100 Awards.

Research Interests

Professor Kaiser's research has concentrated on the development of distributed networked, embedded computing for linking the Internet to the physical world. The applications for this technology that his group has pursued include distributed systems for factory automation, biomedical research, healthcare, space science, security, and defense. His background includes distributed low-power system development, low-power analog and digital electronics, low-power wireless communication systems, and microsensor technology. Professor Kaiser’s teaching efforts include the development of new courses for both undergraduate and graduate programs emphasizing a combination of fundamental concepts and applications to design.

Awards and Recognitions

• 2007 UCLA Gold Shield Prize

• 2006 UCLA Copenhaver Award

• 1998 Arch T. Colwell Award, Society of Automotive Engineers

• 1995 Allied Signal Faculty Research Award

• 1994 Fellow of the American Vacuum Society

• 1991 Peter Mark Award of the American Vacuum Society

Books

G. J. Pottie and W.J. Kaiser, Principles of Embedded Networked Systems Design, Cambridge University Press, September 2006.
D. Estrin, G. Borriello, R. Colwell, J. Fiddler, M. Horowitz, W.J. Kaiser, et al., Embedded, Everywhere, National Academy Press, Washington DC, USA, 2001.
W. J. Kaiser and J. A. Stroscio, editors, Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, Academic Press, MA, 1993.