New $3M Collaboration with Citi Establishes New Endowed Professorship in Advanced Technologies, Supports Research

ECE Florida and the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida is pleased to announce a $3 million collaboration with Citi, a global powerhouse in financial services. This $3 million agreement between UF and Citi will bolster engineering education, research, and professional development for students and faculty in UF’s Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department. The collaboration will also establish a new endowed professorship in advanced technologies in the department. 

[ More ]

Florida-Based Team Looks to Boost Semiconductor Manufacturing in the State

University of Florida officials and other key partners of the U.S. National Science Foundation Engines: Central Florida Semiconductor Innovation Engine gathered near Kissimmee, Florida, on Sept. 24 for an NSF Engines site visit. The regional coalition, including UF lead and ECE Florida Professor Yong-Kyu Yoon, aims to boost the state’s semiconductor talent, infrastructure, and research to enhance national security and drive economic growth.

Text Link

Ray Leads $1M NSF Project to Teach Veterans to Be Hackers

Dr. Sandip Ray is leading a $1M 3-year project called Pivots: VETS-HASTE: Veterans SkillBridge through Industry-Based Hardware Security Training and Education." Also on the project is Dr. Wanli Xing, an assistant professor in the UF College of Education. The study teaches veterans in-demand skills in a chaotic cyber-world that is constantly under attack from crafty hackers. The intense program hosted the veterans on the UF campus for a week, followed by home studies through the fall with access to UF resources.

[ More ]

Wang Works to Transform Power Conversion Systems

ECE Researcher Dr. Shuo Wang has received $3M in funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) in support of his efforts to develop a power semiconductor module to support the realization of transformative power conversion systems for the grid of tomorrow. The module features higher speeds, better electromagnetic interference immunity, and higher efficiency than legacy silicon-based power electronics modules.

[ More ]

Woodard Key Player in Partnership with NSA

ECE Professor Damon Woodard is a key player in an engagement between the Florida Institute for National Security (FINS) and the National Security Agency (NSA). The Education Partnership Agreement will seek to enhance Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) education at UF by enabling technical exchanges, as well as the sharing of educational materials and equipment between the two entities.

[ More ]

Using AI to Improve Surgical Robotics

Professor and chair for academics for ECE Florida Christophe Bobda, Ph.D., and Ph.D. student Antonio Hendricks are analyzing vast datasets from robot-assisted procedures, processing them using artificial intelligence and finding patterns and processes that can be improved.

“We’re analyzing vast sums of data recorded by the robotic surgical system, such as stereoscopic video and kinematic data, via machine learning,” Hendricks said. “These processes are used to conduct autonomous surgical skill assessments and provide insights into interactions with respect to tissue handling and the final product."

[ More ]

Ruchkin Works to Make Cyber-Physical Systems Safer and More Predictable

ECE Assistant Professor Ivan Ruchkin has received funding from NSF for his project "Neuro-Symbolic Bridge: From Perception to Estimation & Control." The project aims to enhance the robustness of cyber physical systems (CPS).

[ More ]

UF Smart Sensor Sends Smartphone Alert if Mending Patient is Too Daring on Their Feet

Dr. Swarup Bhunia and and UF Health foot and ankle surgeon R. James Toussaint, M.D., have invented a new wearable Bluetooth device they hope will revolutionize patient safety in orthopaedics, allowing doctors and patients to receive real-time alerts from an unobtrusive electronic sensor pasted on a limb or worn in a shoe. 

[ More ]

Law to Model Superconducting Materials in Collaboration with Army Research Office

ECE Distinguished Professor Mark Law is collaborating with the Army Research Office and Johns Hopkins University on a newly-funded project, “Superior Superconducting Josephson Junctions with 400°C Processing Temperature.” Dr. Law will be working on developing models to explore why niobium, an element commonly used in superconducting materials, loses its superconducting properties when processed at a temperature above 400°C.

The four-year, $700k project will additionally explore other candidate materials for making Josephson Junctions (JJ), for example niobium-titanium-nitride (NbTiN).

[ More ]

Farahmandi Named Inaugural Holder of Endowed Hardware Security Professorship

Dr. Farimah Farahmandi has been named the inaugural holder of the Walden C. Rhines Endowed Professorship for Hardware Security. Farahmandi is an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and also serves as the associate director of the Florida Institute for Cybersecurity (FICS) Research.

[ More ]

Farahmandi Receives Prestigious DAC Under-40 Innovators Award

ECE Assistant Professor Farimah Farahmandi was honored to receive a 2024 Design Automation Conference (DAC) Under-40 Innovators Award at the most recent conference, sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The award recognizes up to five young innovators, under 40 years of age, who are 'movers and shakers in the field of design and automation of electronics.'

[ More ]