News: Microelectronics
11 January 2022
Iowa State names Liang Dong as Microelectronics Research Center’s new director
Liang Dong, Vikram L. Dalal Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been named director of Iowa State University’s Microelectronics Research Center (MRC).
The MRC is a multi-disciplinary center focusing on the study of semiconductor materials, devices and applications. The research conducted spans areas including photovoltaics, organic electronics, photonic bandgap structures, III-V semiconductors, nanomaterials, energy devices, sensors, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and biochips.
Dong replaces long-time MRC director Vikram L. Dalal, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering, who is stepping down after leading the MRC for 22 years.
Picture: Liang Dong (right), new director of Iowa State University’s Microelectronics Research Center, replacing Vik Dalal (left) who has stepped down after leading the MRC for 22 years.
“The MRC will be in extremely capable hands with Liang, who is a talented innovator and leader,” comments Dalal. “Liang will connect the right researchers to the right engineering questions to make major strides in microtechnologies,” he believes.
“Liang is an outstanding microelectronics researcher, a collaborative colleague, and experienced associate director of the MRC,” comments Arun Somani, senior associate dean, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering, and the Philip and Virginia Sproul Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering. “The MRC has made many key discoveries and advancements under Vik’s leadership, and we look forward to future accomplishments with Liang at the helm.”
Dong’s core research areas are agricultural, biomedical and physical sensors, microelectromechanical systems, and biochips. He is a faculty scholar with the ISU Plant Sciences Institute. He currently serves as editor-in-chief of the journal ‘Sensors and Actuators A: Physical’.
Dong has received many research awards, including a US National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award, and he has been a plenary or keynote speaker at major conferences in agriculture, biochips and sensors. Dong has been at Iowa State since 2007 and he is co-founder of EnGeniousAg, based in Ames, IA, USA. His appointment to MRC director has been effective since 1 December.
“In the next several years, we will be working on making the MRC a premier multi-disciplinary center that innovates smart materials, devices and systems at the micro- and nano-scale,” states Dong. “The goal is to not only provide micro/nanofabrication capacity and expertise to academia and industry but also advance cutting-edge research in micro and nano technologies,” he adds.
“Recent advances in micro- and nano-electronics along with innovations in sensor technologies has opened a vast array of research and development opportunities,” says Ashfaq Khokhar, the Palmer Department Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering. “Vik has done an exceptional job fostering key discoveries during his time as MRC director. Liang has the ideal set of expertise to build on Vik’s successes and lead the MRC.”
