Anantha Chandrakasan, the Joseph F. and Nancy P. Keithley Professor of Electrical Engineering, has been appointed director of MIT's Microsystems Technology Laboratories, effective Sept. 1, Dean of Engineering Thomas Magnanti announced this week.
"Anantha has broad interests that span many aspects of MTL's research portfolio. In particular, he is a pioneer in the area of ultra-low power integrated circuits and systems design for application in fields ranging from sensor networks to ultrawideband (UWB) radio," Magnanti said.
The Microsystems Technology Laboratories carry out research activities in the fabrication of extremely fine structures and their applications for integrated systems, including X-ray lenses, VLSI circuits and micro-gas turbine engines. These artificial microstructures in micron, submicron and nanometer scales are at the heart of the information revolution and of the newer fields of microsensors and actuators.
Chandrakasan, who is currently serving as an associate director of MTL, holds three degrees (B.S., M.S. and Ph.D.) in electrical engineering and computer sciences from the University of California at Berkeley and has been on the MIT faculty since 1994. He is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
"(Chandrakasan's) research has garnered many accolades, including several best paper awards and professional society student design contest awards. He has been active professionally in a number of capacities, assuming editorial responsibilities for journals and serving as the chair of several leading technical meetings in his field," Magnanti said.
Magnanti thanked outgoing MTL Director Martin Schmidt, who has led the lab for the past seven years. "Marty has done a superb job in leading MTL, especially as its intellectual footprint has expanded with increasing emphasis on topics such as nanotechnology and biotechnology. He has done an especially outstanding job in representing and engaging the entire MIT community," Magnanti said.
"It has been a real pleasure to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Marty in his role as MTL director and I look forward to an equally fruitful and enjoyable collaboration with Anantha," Magnanti said.
