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ECE Newsletter – December 1, 2025

News  |  December 1, 2025

Congratulations to Jiahao Zhang and Zifan He for winning the Adaptive Computing category of the 2025 AMD Open Hardware competition

Congratulations to PhD students Jiahao Zhang and Zifan He supervised by Professor Jason Cong for winning the Adaptive Computing category of the 2025 AMD Open Hardware competition with their project “FPGA-Optimized Large Language Model Inference: High-Speed and Accurate Design with SpinQuant.” This work utilizes the FlexLLM framework, a composable High-Level Synthesis (HLS) library for rapidly building FPGA-based LLM accelerators with hybrid temporal–spatial dataflow and state-of-the-art hardware-efficient quantization. Based on FlexLLM, the team implemented a complete inference system for the Llama-3.2 1B model in under two months with fewer than 1,000 lines of code, achieving a stage-specialized accelerator whose high-accuracy quantization surpasses the SpinQuant baseline and delivers up to 4.71× end-to-end speedup and 4.13× energy-efficiency gains over an NVIDIA A100 GPU. Their design also integrates a Hierarchical Memory Transformer (HMT) plug-in that drastically reduces prefill latency and extends the effective context window, enabling efficient long-context LLM inference on AMD FPGAs. This recognition highlights their impactful contributions at the intersection of algorithm design, quantization, and domain-specific acceleration for large language models. A demo (https://youtu.be/6VsRv5FKEsg) of this work was showcased at the annual PRISM Center Review.

Abhimanyu Borthakur Received the 2025 Emil Wolf Outstanding Student Paper Award

Associate Professor Sergio Carbajo’s PhD student, Abhimanyu Borthakur, has received the 2025 Emil Wolf Outstanding Student Paper award by Optica for his work presented at Frontiers in Optics and Laser Science conference.

His original work retrieves ultrafast pulses from partial Frequency-Resolved Optical Gating (FROG) traces using a novel diffusion-based generative model—an algorithmic framework that helps democratize access to FROG technologies for even the most resource-constrained stakeholders.

Course Offerings

Events/Seminars

Upcoming Ph.D. Defenses

Workshops/Info Sessions

ECE Department Head Association (ECEDHA) Impact: Redefining Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty (iREDEFINE)

The ECE Department Head Association is hosting a workshop program to prepare PhD students and postdocs for faculty careers. If you are considering an academic career, please consider applying.

Applications are due December 1st.

University of Michigan ECE Virtual Info Session – Pursuing UG Research and Preparing for Graduate School!

University of Michigan – Electrical and Computer Engineering will be hosting a virtual session regarding the importance of pursuing undergraduate research for pursuing graduate school on Thursday, December 4, from 2:00PM-3:00PM ET. This session is intended for individuals who are considering graduate school starting in Fall 2027 or later.

Fellowships

CISAC at Stanford University Fellowship Program

The Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) at Stanford University is seeking applicants for its 2026-2027 Fellowship Program. Every year, CISAC offers approximately eight to ten fellowships to predoctoral students, postdoctoral scholars, and junior faculty members who are researching topics related to international security, nuclear security, biosecurity and digital security that contain elements of policy-relevance.

The application deadline is December 3, 2025. Interested candidates can learn more here. Any questions, contact cisacfellowship@stanford.edu.

URA-Sandia Graduate Student Summer Fellowship

Summer Fellows will conduct research in close collaboration with Sandian mentors and technical staff to engage in challenging research and development projects. They will also be included in meetings, events, and tours sponsored by the SNL Student Intern Program, SNL Academic Programs, and URA to support professional development and STEM network engagement.

This program provides science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research experiences that support Sandia National Laboratories’ (SNL) Research Foundations. For information about the Research Foundations, please visit this page. Sandia’s mission is “To render exceptional service in the national interest” as one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Laboratories. As a DOE National Nuclear Security Administration laboratory, Sandia has a core mission in national security that is synergistically served by a broad range of STEM disciplines in these Research Foundations.

For more information and to apply, please see the website. 

S. Scott Collis Fellowship in Data Science

The S. Scott Collis Fellowship in Data Science seeks applicants with a demonstrated background and interest in the interdisciplinary domain of data science. Collis Fellows in Data Science work at the junction of cutting-edge data science techniques and Sandia’s national security mission and application space. Data science at Sandia emphasizes the analysis and interpretation of scientific, engineering, and observational (sensor) data, including development of scientific models, pattern identification, prediction, and knowledge extraction. Relevant analysis techniques range from artificial intelligence to advanced statistical methods, to optimization techniques, to methods designed for specialized hardware, and beyond. Examples of the scientific and engineering applications relevant to Sandia’s diverse missions include nuclear deterrence and nonproliferation, numerical modeling and scientific simulation , energy systems and power grid, cyber security, operations research, geospatial analysis, neuromorphic computing , quantum computing, and many other national security domains.

For more information and to apply, please see the website. 

Student Organizations

Submit your research & get published in UCLA’s Undergraduate Science Journal (Volume 39)

Hello Bruins!

Have you completed a research course at UCLA (SRP 199, 198, URSP, URFP) or a summer program like Amgen scholars, that required you to write a final paper? Or have you written a manuscript or thesis as part of your undergraduate research? If so, your work may be eligible for publication in Volume 39 of the Undergraduate Science Journal (USJ), UCLA’s premier student-run STEM research journal! We welcome submissions from undergraduates across all STEM disciplines who have conducted research at UCLA or
under the mentorship of a UCLA faculty member.

SUBMIT HERE! (https://forms.gle/jEQM7HWzHtNSWYgG7)

Priority Submission Deadline: Sunday, December 14, 2025 at 11:59 PM PST
Final Submission Deadline: Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at 11:59 PM PST

Publishing with USJ is a great way to share your work with the UCLA scientific community and strengthen your research profile for graduate school, medical school, or industry opportunities!

Follow us on Instagram @usjucla for updates, and email us at usjucla@gmail.com if you have any questions!

We look forward to reading your work!

Job Opportunities

TSMC Global Summer Internship Program

LADWP Student Engineer Program- Summer 2026 Internship

LADWP is currently accepting applications for its Summer 2026 Student Engineer Program (SEP). The goal of the SEP is to provide college engineering students with experiential job training opportunities, including career mentoring, theoretical and technical instruction, and project related infrastructure work tasks. Student Engineers will be paired with LADWP engineers and work in technical teams within the organization’s Water, Power, and Joint systems. The SEP eligibility requirements and employment application are available at: http://www.ladwp.com/sep.

Successful applicants will be notified of their selection between January and March 2026. Work assignments will be arranged to commence upon the conclusion of the student’s academic year. For questions about the program, please send an email to studentengineer@ladwp.com.

Full Time Faculty Position – Physics Department USM

The Physics Department of the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María (UTFSM or USM, for short) is seeking to hire a full-time Academic who will be expected to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in the area of Experimental Physics.

Please see this link for more information regarding this position. 

Postdoctoral Researcher: Modeling and Stability Analysis for Modern Power Systems

Please see this link for more information regarding this position.

Researcher II/III: EMT Modeling, Simulation and Analysis for Large-Scale Power Systems

Please see this link for more information regarding this position.

Part time Project with Professor Pirouz Kavehpour

We’re seeking an expert developer for a project‑based engagement (not hourly) to build and optimize scalable applications, deploy on Azure Cloud, and integrate GPU‑accelerated embedding software. This role requires deep technical expertise, independence, and the ability to deliver high‑quality solutions within defined project milestones.

What You’ll Work On

Requirements

Nice to Have

How We Work
Project‑based milestones, clear acceptance criteria, frequent check‑ins, and code reviews.
We value pragmatic engineering, performance, and maintainability.

Send your information to: Prof. Pirouz Kavehpour—Pirouz@seas.ucla.edu

The University of Alabama is in search of Professors

If you are completing your PhD this year (or who have recently graduated) that are interested in opportunities to continue your research careers on the tenure track, the University of Alabama is in search of an assistant professor.

Electrical and Computer Engineering – Assistant Professor – 527587 – Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States

The search is currently active and they’ll begin reviewing applications received through the online submission system in the next few weeks.

They are also recruiting at the Associate and Full Professor levels. Those links with further details are below:

Electrical and Computer Engineering – Associate Professor – 527631 – Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States

Electrical and Computer Engineering – Professor – 527632 – Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States

Electrical/Computer Engineering Intern at Sophia Space

A well-funded deep-tech startup in Pasadena is seeking Electrical/Computer Engineering Interns to help develop its AI-powered product prototypes. The interns are expected to blend electronics hardware and embedded software to build groundbreaking AI infrastructure in space. Roles are available full-time or part-time starting immediately, with the option to continue part-time (~10–15 hrs/week) during the academic year.

Please see this link for more information regarding this position.

ECE Telecom Faculty Position at Texas Tech University

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Whitacre College of Engineering at Texas Tech University invites applications for a full-time, 9-month, tenure-track, open-rank (Assistant/Associate/Full Professor) to begin January 16, 2026.


Please see this link for more information regarding this position.

Cellular SOC Design Verification Engineer – Entry Level at Apple

Do you have a passion for invention and self-challenge? This position gives you an opportunity to be a part of one of the most cutting edge and key projects that Apple’s Silicon Engineering Group has embarked upon to-date. As a Design Verification Engineer on our team, you’ll be at the center of the verification effort within our silicon design group responsible for crafting and productizing state-of-the-art Cellular SoCs!

You will have the opportunity to contribute to the verification effort of a set of complex SOCs delivering the Cellular solution. You will integrate multiple sophisticated IP level DV environments, craft highly reusable best-in-class UVM based test bench, implement effective coverage driven and directed test suites, deploy new tools and methodologies to deliver chips that are right-first-time. By collaborating with other product development groups across Apple, you can push the industry boundaries of what cellular systems can do and improve the product experience for our customers across the world!

Minimum Qualifications:
BS in EE or CS is required
Object Oriented Programming
Coursework in Digital Design

Preferred Qualifications:
MS in EE or CS
Coursework in Computer Architecture, Networking Protocol
Should be a great teammate with excellent communication and problem-solving skills and the
desire to seek diverse challenges.
Programming experience in SystemVerilog, Python, C++

Application details:

  1. Candidates must be graduating this December
  2. Please include your current GPA with your resume
  3. Please send resume directly to Junhui Lou at j_lou@apple.com

Engineer or Project Manager at DMF Lighting

DMF Lighting designs and builds industry-leading LED downlighting that sets the standard for flexibility, performance, and quality. Founded over 30 years ago, DMF has grown into a leader in the lighting industry, driven by a passion for innovation and customer service.

Our in-house engineers constantly push the boundaries of lighting, delivering products that combine exceptional performance with beautiful design. At DMF, we believe in a collaborative, forward-thinking culture that empowers our team to bring creative ideas to life and make a lasting impact. If you’re looking for a company where creativity and innovation are part of the DNA, DMF is the place for you.

We currently have the following openings available:

Electrical Engineer, Sr. Electrical Engineer, Embedded Firmware Engineer, Mechanical Engineer I, Mechanical Engineer, Project Manager

Website: www.dmflighting.com

Please see this link for more information regarding these positions.

Contact: Helen Portillo, Human Resources Generalist at HPortillo@dmflighting.com

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.