News | August 4, 2025
Ozcan Lab’s Research on Optical Computing Highlighted by Photonics Focus
Ozcan Lab’s research on optical computing and machine-vision applications was highlighted by Photonics Focus magazine of SPIE. The article discusses their focus on neural networks, and covers Ozcan Labs’ trajectory in this area of research.
Please see the article.
Ozcan Lab will present 20 talks, including 3 invited talks, at the SPIE Optics & Photonics Conference
Ozcan Lab will be presenting 20 talks, including 3 invited talks, this week at the SPIE Optics & Photonics Conference in San Diego. The symposium shares advances in space and ground telescopes, UV/x-ray/gamma-ray astronomy, exoplanet detection, and more.
Distinguished Professor Rahmat-Samii and Team Present Four Papers at 2025 IEEE AP-S/URSI Symposium in Ottawa, Canada
Distinguished Professor Yahya Rahmat-Samii and his research team presented four papers — one of them invited — at the 2025 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) and USNC-URSI Symposium, held in Ottawa, Canada, from July 12 to July 17, 2025. This premier international symposium, which attracted over 1,300 attendees, showcased cutting-edge advancements across all areas of antenna systems and electromagnetic techniques.
The invited paper, titled “Innovations in Printed Lens and Transmitarray Antennas: A Survey of Emerging Designs and Fabrication Methods,” offered a comprehensive overview of modern developments in the design and fabrication of printed lens and transmitarray antennas. Figure 1 highlighted the key techniques discussed in the presentation, which was very well received by the audience.
The team also delivered three additional technical papers:
- “Exploring Low Back Reflection in Layer-Limited Metasurfaces: A Comparative Analysis of Various Simulation Techniques” (with Wenman Hu)
- “Ka-Band Linearly Polarized High-Gain Transmitarray Design for CubeSat Integration Based on Double-Layer Ultrathin Kapton Membrane” (with Wenman Hu)
- “Seed Prediction for Phase Retrieval Algorithms for Scanned Aperture Antennas Using Deep Learning” (with Vignesh Manohar)
Figures below provide further insights into the technical content of these papers.
In addition, Professor Rahmat-Samii delivered a three-hour short course on “Surface
Electromagnetics in Antenna Engineering: From EBG to Metasurfaces and Beyond,”
utilizing two of his widely recognized books: Electromagnetic Band Gap Structures in Antenna Engineering and Surface Electromagnetics.
Designs and Fabrication Methods”, Y. Rahmat-Samii
Associate Professor Sergio Carbajo Elected to the 2025 Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Fellows Program
Associate Professor Carbajo and his team (Arlene Pesigan Axel Cortes, Maritza Sondhi, Maverick Santos, Marian Gabra, Shahla Moreno) were selected to participate in the 2025 HSI Fellows Program. Carbajo is the only Engineering-wide 2025 Inaugural HSI Fellow.
The program aims to build a network of leaders who are deeply engaged in advancing their mission of inclusive excellence. As fellows, they will participate in interactive workshops with university and community leaders, engage with cutting-edge scholarship, and connect directly with students to inform and inspire their work.
Associate Professor Sergio Carbajo to Serve as a Member of the LGBTQ Faculty Advisory Committee
Associate Professor Sergio Carbajo has been appointed by the Dean of the Division of Social Sciences to serve as a member of the LGBTQ Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC). Carbajo is the only Engineering-wide faculty to participate in the FAC.
PhD Students Gia Azcoitia and Jack Rozells Awarded the USPAS Scholarships
Two of Associate Professor Sergio Carbajo’s students, Gia Azcoitia and Jack Rozells, will have the opportunity to study advanced accelerator physics at the US Particle Accelerator School (USPAS) summer sessions while supported by their scholarships.
The USPAS is an essential asset in providing specialized education and hands-on training in accelerator science and technology, addressing a critical need for skilled professionals in this niche field. By offering courses developed and taught by leading experts, USPAS ensures the advancement of accelerator applications in research, medicine, industry, and national security, supporting innovation and workforce development. Its role is vital in maintaining U.S. leadership in accelerator science and related technologies.
Job Opportunities
RFA Electric
Are you ready to build something that actually matters? We’re on a mission to dominate the electromagnetic spectrum by applying powerful AI to radio design – and we’re hiring the brightest minds to do it.
We are a Los Angeles startup team of veteran RF engineers and world-class AI researchers backed by top-tier investors engaged with blue-chip aerospace and defense primes and the US Government.
We are seeking BS/MS/PhD interns, graduates, and experienced engineers in the fields of:
Large language model design, fine-tuning, benchmarking, and inference
Business development and government relations (yes engineers wanted)
Knowledge of RF and analog systems, or signal processing, is a plus.
Apply now to join the team building the radios that win battles before they start.
Internship Opportunity: Ayar Labs
Ayar Labs is in search of a number of summer interns. The internships span several areas, including circuit design, photonics, computer vision/AI, data science, and hardware engineering.
For more details and to apply, students can visit: Ayar Labs Internship Opportunities.
Research Opportunity: Geothermal Technology Development (UCLA)
The research group of Professor Sergio Carbajo at UCLA is seeking a highly motivated
graduate engineering student to contribute to an exciting geothermal technology research project for 1-2 months during Winter Quarter. This is an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on research experience and earn university research credit.
Project Overview:
This project, under the direction of Professor Carbajo, focuses on developing innovative technologies to enhance geothermal energy extraction and super deep drilling. The selected student will play a key role in the design and modeling of novel technology.
Responsibilities:
- Utilize CAD software to design and refine components for direct energy drilling and geothermal rigging systems.
- Contribute to the modeling and analysis of hydrodynamic and electromagnetic phenomena within the system.
- Collaborate with the research team to interpret simulation results and contribute to project discussions.
- Document research findings and contribute to technical reports or presentations.
Qualifications:
- Currently enrolled graduate student in Electrical Engineering (EE) or Mechanical Engineering at UCLA.
- Experience with CAD design software (e.g., SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Fusion 360).
- Interest or experience in hydrodynamics and electromagnetism.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Expertise with Field-Effect Transistors (FETs) or Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFETs).
Benefits:
- Earn university research credit.
- Gain valuable research experience in a cutting-edge field.
- Opportunity to contribute to a real-world energy solution for climate change.
- Work alongside experienced researchers and faculty at UCLA, including Professor Sergio Carbajo.
Time Commitment:
1-2 months during Winter Quarter, with flexible scheduling to accommodate academic
commitments.
To Apply:
Interested students should submit their resume/CV and a brief statement of interest (one paragraph) outlining their relevant skills and experience to johnfstrike@gmail.com. Please include “Geothermal Research Application” in the subject line. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
Electronics/PCB Development Undergraduate Internship Opportunity
Employment Period: Year-round
Location: On-campus
Approximate hours per week: 5+ hours
Duration: 6-24 months
Salary / Pay rate / Stipend: $20/hour
Relevant Website: https://www.edroplets.org/
Job description
Digital microfluidics is a technology that enables programmable control over individual droplets using electrical signals on a chip, which has been transforming wet labs towards the era of lab-on-a-chip. You will develop electronic control circuits for operating digital microfluidics chips. This is a highly engineering-oriented project, which requires independent schematic design, PCB layout design, PCB manufacturing, and assembly outsourcing for various circuits and electronic systems. You will also work with the mechanical design and software development team guided by graduate students to create multiple products. These products will be used by numerous digital microfluidics researchers and startups around the world through an open-source platform (edroplets.org).
For domestic students (US Citizen or Permanent Resident), the payment may be a stipend from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program.
For international students, the payment will be through a regular research fund.
For those who prefer research credits over stipends, SRP 99 or MAE 199 is also possible.
What you will get:
(1) You will experience creating a real-world electronic product for a transformative technology, which will be used by lots of real users!
(2) You will get hands-on experience and training in schematic/PCB/electronics design and development
(3) You will learn the basic knowledge and industry status of digital microfluidics, and participate in translating ground-breaking research into real-world products
(4) You may become a co-author of resulting journal and conference publications
Quality & skill desired:
(1) A strong and genuine interest in electronics is essential. If you are a DIYer who loves working with electronics and wants to build something impactful, this is a perfect project for you.
(2) Enjoy working in a team with different expertise is essential. The ability to articulate your work to non-technical team members is essential.
(3) Experience with Altium Designer, KiCAD or other PCB design software is a plus. Experience with LabView is a plus. Experience in making a PCB from design to manufacturing is a huge plus.
(4) No experience or knowledge of digital microfluidics is required
Interested? Please send your resume to Professor CJ Kim (cjkim@ucla.edu) and Leo Wang (wangqining265@gmail.com). If there’s a good match, you will be invited to an interview.
Newsletter Submissions
To be included in future newsletters, please send the latest news, awards, publications and any upcoming PhD oral defenses to the Chair’s assistant, Winda Mak, at wmak@seas.ucla.edu. Please include “newsletter submission” in the subject line. The ECE newsletters will be sent bimonthly on the first and third Mondays of the month. Please ensure all submissions are received by the Wednesday before distribution to be included in the newsletter.