News  |  July 8, 2025

Welcome Message from our New Chair, Professor Ben Williams

Dear UCLA ECE Community,

I’m happy to accept the appointment to be the next Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCLA. This is my 18th year at UCLA, and this department has become a 2nd home for me, and I hope many of you feel the same way.

I want to thank our outgoing chair Ken Yang for all of the excellent work he did for the department – we are left in a strong position. I have learned much from him, particularly in the past two years when I served as Vice Chair of Graduate Affairs. I also want to recognize the departmental faculty leadership for the upcoming year. Sudhakar Pamarti will step into the role of Vice Chair for Graduate Affairs, and Danijela Cabric and Mani Srivastava will continue as Vice Chairs for Undergraduate Affairs in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering respectively.

As I step into this role, one of my most important goals is to strengthen the sense of community and culture within the department. This takes many forms – particularly through the interactions variously within and between the faculty, the staff, the students, and the alumni. Each plays an instrumental role in our collective mission of educating the next generation of engineers and producing world class research. I plan to spend the next few months speaking with many of you, and listening to what you think is working and what needs to be improved.

UCLA ECE has a storied history of excellence in education and innovation – continuing and building upon that history will be my top priority. While our university and department are no doubt facing challenges, within those challenges lie opportunities. I look forward to working with all of you to together bring our department to even greater heights.

Benjamin Williams

Chair, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Professor Cong Delivered Keynote at the 62nd ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference (DAC)

Professor Jason Cong delivered his keynote speech entitled “Democratize Chip Design” at the 62nd ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference (DAC) on June 25, 2025. Cong presented a grand vision of enabling software programmers for chip designs, and highlighted recent progress at UCLA (in collaboration with Professor Yizhou Sun’s group) towards this goal, integrating deep learning, mathematical programming, and an agentic approach with high-level synthesis. DAC is the premier conference in the field of electronic design automation.

Ozcan Lab Publishes a New Paper in Nature Biomedical Engineering on the Autonomous Detection of AI-Induced Hallucinations in Digital Pathology and Virtual Staining of Tissue

In collaboration with pathologists from the University of Southern California and Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, UCLA’s Ozcan Lab recently published a new paper in Nature Biomedical Engineering on an autonomous image quality assessment tool for detecting hallucinations in virtual staining and digital pathology which was able to outperform human experts in identifying potentially misleading tissue image artifacts.

Please see the paper and press release. 

Ozcan Lab Publishes a New Paper in Light: Science & Applications on the Universal Programming of 3D Point Spread Functions for Imaging

UCLA’s Ozcan Lab published a new paper in Light: Science & Applications, introducing a universal framework for point spread function (PSF) engineering, enabling the synthesis of arbitrary, spatially varying 3D PSFs using diffractive optical processors.

Please see the paper and press release. 

LORIS Research Group Alumni, Dr. Chu-Hsiang (Sean) Huang Joins National Taiwan University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering

We are thrilled to announce that an alumni of LORIS Research Group led by Professor Lara Dolecek, Dr. Chu-Hsiang (Sean) Huang has recently joined National Taiwan University (NTU) as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering. After graduating with his Ph.D. degree in EE from UCLA, Dr. Huang was with Qualcomm Technologies. Dr. Huang’s research interests include next generation wireless communication system design, communication system standardization, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and statistical communication theory . His current focus is on the AI-native air-interface design, which aims to create the air-interface of the intelligent network for carrying and collecting data for AI models and AI-based service, and ubiquitously connects every corner of the planet Earth.

Dr. Huang joins the ranks of other recent UCLA LORIS alumni with academic positions, including Professor Ahmed Hareedy who is an Assistant Professor in the EE Department at the Middle East Technical University (METU), Turkey, and Professor Fred Sala, who is an Assistant Professor in the CS Department at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. 

Professor Babakhani’s Team Presents a Paper in 2025 IEEE RFIC Conference on an Ultra-Low-Power Radar Chip for Sensing Applications

Titled, A 4.6mW 232GHz Autodyne Complementary Self-Injection-Locked Radar for Micrometer-Level Displacement Sensing and Imaging, the paper presents a novel complementary self-injection-locked (CSIL) radar architecture for low-power, high-accuracy THz phase sensing. The CSIL radar employs a self-injection mechanism within a coupled oscillator system, where a portion of the transmitted signal reflects off the target and is reinjected into the radar. This self-injection process induces an amplitude imbalance between the oscillators as a function of the target distance. By measuring this amplitude imbalance, the system can estimate relative displacements. Unlike conventional phase-sensing radars, CSIL eliminates the need for complex, power-hungry frequency synthesis. It also operates in autodyne mode and is inherently immune to self-interference. The radar is fabricated using the TSMC 65nm process. Operating at 232 GHz, it achieves a static range accuracy of 20μm while consuming only 4.6 mW of DC power.

Awards

Assistant Professor Xiaofan Cui Receives the UCLA Society of Hellman Fellows Award

Assistant Professor Xiaofan Cui has been selected as a recipient of the 2025-26 UCLA Society of Hellman Fellows Award. The UCLA Society of Hellman Fellows Program aims to help promising junior faculty with their research and creative endeavors in hopes of promoting career advancement and enhancing progress towards tenure. 

Professor Jonathan Kao Receives the 2025 UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award 

Associate Professor Jonathan Kao has received the 2025 Distinguished Teaching Award, UCLA’s highest recognition for teaching excellence and honors recipients. Awardees are chosen based on a range of criteria such as student success examples or metrics, feedback on the student experience, innovative teaching and curricular methods, instructor efforts to foster a learning environment where all students can thrive, and support for community outreach and mentoring activities. The awards honor deserving instructors for their creativity in the classroom, dedication to helping students thrive, and commitment to continually improving the educational experience for students. Kao is one of 6 senate faculty who have received the award this year. 

Hao Zhang Awarded an IEEE Photonics Society Graduate Scholarship

Hao Zhang has been awarded a 2025 graduate scholarship by IEEE Photonics Society, the international society for optics and photonics, for their potential contributions to the fields of optics, photonics, or related fields. Zhang is a PhD candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCLA and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, advised by Professor Sergio Carbajo since 2022. Professor Carbajo’s unwavering support and mentorship have been instrumental in shaping Zhang’s research direction and scientific perspective, particularly in the areas of ultrafast optics and light–matter interactions. Prior to joining the QLMC Lab, Zhang conducted research in the groups of Professor Reuven Gordon (2020–2022) and Professor Kaixue Ma (2017–2020). His work spans nonlinear optics, advanced pulse shaping for ultra-high-brightness light sources, optical trapping, and photonic transduction. “My passion lies in capturing, shaping, and emitting high-frequency waves and light,” says Zhang. “I’m driven by the pursuit of fundamental limits in light–matter interactions, with the goal of enabling future advances in photonics, biosensing, and communication technologies.”

Upcoming PhD Defenses

Technical Talk

2025 TSMC Technical Career Talk: Chart Your Path in Semiconductor Technology

Are you ready to shape the future of semiconductors? Join TSMC for an exclusive career-focused technical talk on Friday, August 1! This event is your gateway to exploring exciting opportunities in the world’s largest semiconductor foundry while top experts from TSMC’s Operations, R&D, IT, Corporate Planning, and regional teams across the US, Japan, and Europe, will share their insights into groundbreaking advancements shaping the industry.

Join us for either the morning or afternoon session to:

 Explore diverse career opportunities within semiconductor technology.

 Deepen your knowledge of emerging trends and cutting-edge innovations.

 Engage directly with industry leaders through live Q&A sessions.

Don’t miss this incredible chance to connect with the innovators driving progress at the world’s largest semiconductor foundry. Secure your spot today and be part of shaping the future—register now!

 Event Details:

August 1
Session 1: 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM (UTC+8)
Session 2: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM (UTC+8)
 Register Here: https://bit.ly/tsmctechtalk_dept

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.

careers@rfaelectric.com 

Internship Opportunity: Keysight Technologies

Keysight Technologies is looking to hire 4 PhD EE/ECE or MS EE/ECE interns in each of the 4 locations below. These internships are an opportunity for site teams interns to create a core technology project solution, then present those solutions as a competing contest against the other site intern teams at the end of their 3 month internships. The winning team will receive a cash prize. Keysight is in the process of actively reviewing and screening applicants for all positions. All interns will start on June 2 for the 3 month project work with the potential to be extended 6-9 additional months. For the selected interns, Keysight offers local site housing in addition to standard hourly pay.

The following locations have open positions: 

Colorado Springs, Colorado: PhD Students, Masters Students

Santa Rosa, California: PhD Students, Masters Students

Boeblingen, Germany: PhD Students, Masters Students

Interested students should apply online and email their resume to Mari O’Neill for US jobs: maria.oneill@keysight.com 

Email Marcella Clusellas for the Germany jobs: marcella.clusellas@keysight.com 

Job Opportunity: Postdoctoral Scholar at UCLA Center for Advanced Surgical and Interventional Technology

Position description:

Are you passionate about advancing the frontier of healthcare technology? Dr. Bijan Najafi’s renowned research team at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher position. This role offers the opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge studies in remote patient monitoring, frailty, dementia, and wearable technologies designed to empower older adults to live independently and age in place.

We are seeking a highly motivated individual with a Ph.D. in Biomechanics, Kinesiology, or a related field. The ideal candidate will have expertise or familiarity in:

• Wearable technologies for human motion analysis

• Motion tracking systems

• Gait and balance assessments

• Muscle activity monitoring and motor disability evaluation

Start Date: As soon as possible

Qualifications:

Basic qualifications: PhD

Preferred qualifications: Ph.D. in Biomechanics, Kinesiology, or a related field.

Application Requirements:

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae – Your most recently updated C.V.

• Cover Letter – Limited to two pages, summarizing your career goals and prior   research relevant to human movement analysis.

• Statement of Research (Optional)

• Reference check authorization release form – Complete and upload the reference check authorization release form

• Sample Publication – A sample of a relevant prior publication.

Reference requirements

• 3-5 required (contact information only)

Please see the full posting. 

Internship Opportunity: Design Verification Engineer Intern at Apple

Apple is seeking a Design Verification Engineer intern in their first year of an MS degree and will graduate either in Dec 2025 or May 2026. 

Position description:

Through this experience, you will learn all aspects of a large scale SOC design, complex verification test benches, different types of SOC architectures, multiple high speed protocols, industry-standard low power architecture, best in class DV methodology, verification on accelerated platforms, knowledge on Cellular protocol, FW- HW interactions, complexities of multi-chip SOC debug architecture, etc. 

Please send your resume to j_lou@apple.com if interested.

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.