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College Names First Craig M. Berge Dean’s Fellows

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College Names First Craig M. Berge Dean’s Fellows

Nov. 3, 2020
Six researchers will advance research in areas including quantum communications, groundwater remediation and wearable biomedical devices.

Craig M. Berge, who earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona in 1957, had a successful career in the automotive industry and stayed involved with his alma mater throughout his life. When he passed away in 2017, his wife, Nancy Haddad Berge, made a gift to the college that established a four-year design program and an endowed chair for the dean of engineering. David W. Hahn, the college’s Craig M. Berge dean, created an additional fellowship in 2020 to further the Berge family’s vision of the college leading the way in solving 21st century engineering challenges.

The fellowship, funded at $8,000 annually to support educational and research efforts, is for a three-year term. The first six recipients include faculty members from multiple departments working in areas ranging from quantum computing and biomedical device development to wastewater treatment.

"I'm thrilled to be able to directly support this group of faculty members with the Berge deanship. They were selected from a truly outstanding pool of applicants," Hahn said. "While they come from a variety of disciplines and experience levels, they share a commitment to excellence that makes our college a better place to work and learn."

Ivan Djordjevic
Ivan Djordjevic

Ivan Djordjevic is a professor of electrical and computer engineering with a joint appointment in optical sciences. He researches quantum information processing and error correction, wireless communication, quantum networks and advanced optical communications. He is a UA 1885 Society Distinguished Scholar, IEEE fellow and Optical Society fellow. Djordjevic is part of a team building the university’s Interdisciplinary Quantum Information Research and Engineering instrument.

 

Reyes Sierra-Alvarez
Reyes Sierra-Alvarez

Reyes Sierra-Alvarez is a professor of chemical and environmental engineering. She researches wastewater treatment, soil and groundwater bioremediation, nanotoxicity and environmental technology for semiconductor manufacturing. Sierra-Alvarez has served on the Fulbright Commission and received an NSF ADVANCE Fellows Award. She is associate editor of the Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology and for Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology.

 

Qing Hao
Qing Hao

Qing Hao is an associate professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering. His work centers on nanoscale energy transport and its applications in advanced materials and nano-electronic devices. Hao has received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award for his thermal studies of grain boundaries and an Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program Award for his graphene research.

 

 

Ming Li
Ming Li

Ming Li is an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. He researches information security and privacy, wireless networking, wireless security and cybersecurity, and security in cyberphysical systems. Li is a University Distinguished Scholar and has earned the Office of Naval Research’s Young Investigator Award to support his work in reconfigurable antennas with wireless networks. He is a senior member of IEEE and a member of the Association for Computing Machinery.

 

Philipp Gutruf
Philipp Gutruf

Philipp Gutruf is an assistant professor of biomedical engineering. At the core of his work is photonics and electronics. He creates devices that integrate with human biological systems for health diagnostics and neuroscience. For example, he has developed a system to observe individual neurons in the brain for better understanding of mechanisms of pain, depression and addiction. Gutruf’s work has been highlighted on eight journal covers, and he holds four patents.

 

Quntao Zhuang
Quntao Zhuang

Quntao Zhuang is an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering with a joint appointment in optical sciences. He works on applications for quantum information processing and quantum optics, such as quantum communication, entanglement and key distribution. Zhuang is a collaborator in the University of Arizona’s Center for Quantum Networks as well as the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center. He received the 2020 Young Faculty Award from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.