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Quantum Properties in Atom-thick Semiconductors Offer New Way to Detect Electrical Signals in Cells

March 3, 2025

Quantum Properties in Atom-thick Semiconductors Offer New Way to Detect Electrical Signals in Cells

For decades, scientists have relied on electrodes and dyes to track the electrical activity of living cells. Now, UC San Diego engineers have discovered that quantum materials just a single atom thick can do the job—using only light. Full Story


UC San Diego Celebrates New Three National Academy of Engineering Members

February 28, 2025

UC San Diego Celebrates New Three National Academy of Engineering Members

Three members of our Jacobs School community have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Congratulations to Robert W. Heath Jr., Richard Sandstrom and Doug Cameron. Full Story


Exploring the Impact of Generative AI on Education, Research and More

February 27, 2025

Exploring the Impact of Generative AI on Education, Research and More

Better simulations to understand how viruses work. Better ways to model and predict climate change. Better robots that can navigate the real world. Researchers from all across the University of California San Diego and around the world converged on campus last week to explore the promise of generative artificial intelligence (AI). Full Story


UC San Diego Researchers Awarded $5M Grant to Advance Next-Generation Brain Implants

February 25, 2025

UC San Diego Researchers Awarded $5M Grant to Advance Next-Generation Brain Implants

A UC San Diego-led team has been awarded a $5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop next-generation brain implants that can record activity deep inside the brain with improved resolution and speed across different regions while sitting on the brain's surface. Full Story



Making neural networks more trustworthy and sustainable

Seminar Speaker
Michael Unser

The use of deep neural networks (DNNs) is currently transforming many areas of science and engineering. Although DNN-based techniques outperform traditional algorithms in most signal processing tasks, they can exhibit weaknesses such as reduced robustness and a tendency to produce hallucinations. These issues are linked to the DNN's Lipschitz constant, which typically worsens exponentially with the addition of layers. In this work, we present a framework for the design of stable networks with maximal expressivity.

An Information Theory for Out-of-Order Information: Applications in DNA Data Storage and Genomics

Seminar Speaker
Ilan Shomorony

The recent development of DNA-based data storage prototypes has raised several questions about how to optimally encode information in these systems. A distinguishing feature of this new storage paradigm is that the stored information is read via “shotgun” sequencing technologies. This means that the channel output comprises many short fragments of the input observed out of order. Motivated by this, we study the capacity of a class of “shuffling channels” that capture this inherent need to reorder the observed channel output.

Fundamentals of RF System Analysis for IC Designers

Seminar Speaker
Raja Pullela

This seminar provides key insights into wireless system analysis from a circuit designer’s perspective, focusing on modulation techniques, line-up analysis, and link performance optimization. Participants will explore impairments in analog and mixed-signal components-thermal noise, phase noise, spurious signals, and distortion and their impact on system performance. The session covers critical metrics such as Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), Error Vector Magnitude (EVM), Receiver Sensitivity, Blocker performance, and Transmitter out-of-band noise.

2025 Outstanding Engineering Service Award by SDCEC

The San Diego County Engineering Council (SDCEC) is an umbrella organization consisting of local engineering society chapters, both collegiate and professional. They recognize the contributions of individuals, projects and engineering heroes in San Diego County and Imperial County that advance engineering and technology benefiting the general public through their annual San Diego Engineers Week Awards Banquet. This year, 9 Outstanding Engineering Honor Awards were presented during Engineers Week on February 18. ECE Department Chair Prof.

Harmonizing Energy Efficiency and Signal Chain Friendliness in High-Resolution ADCs

Seminar Speaker
Dr. Shaolan Li

High-resolution ADCs are essential components in many biomedical and environmental sensing applications. As the demands for wearable, miniature and point-of-care systems keep increasing, the design requirements for high-resolution ADCs also get more stringent, with strong emphasis on energy efficiency, reliability, and low cost. Over the past few years, many design techniques have been developed to excel the figure-of-merit (FoM) of high-resolution ADCs, where the state-of-the-arts has gotten really close to the theoretical limit.

Seminar Contact
Professor Drew Hall

Gridless Joint Phase Error and High Resolution DoA Estimation in DFT Beamspace for Hybrid MIMO OFDM Systems

Seminar Speaker
Martin Haardt

ESPRIT-based high-resolution parameter estimation algorithms in DFT beamspace have been proposed as efficient gridless channel estimation schemes for MIMO OFDM systems in the millimeter wave (mmWave) band. Compared to conventional ESPRIT-based algorithms in element space, the DFT beamspace approach can be applied to MIMO systems with hybrid analog-digital architectures. Moreover, this approach significantly reduces the training overhead for communication systems operating in the mmWave band. It involves coarse and fine estimation steps. 

 

Seminar Contact
Prof. Piya Pal

The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department traces its roots back to the establishment of the Applied Electrophysics department in 1965, under its founding chair Henry Booker. Through a succession of department realignments emerged today’s ECE in 1987, when the then-combined Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department was split into two departments. Since then, ECE has earned a world-class reputation for producing top-notch engineers for industry and academia.

By the Numbers

$38M+

In Research
Expenditures

17,000+

Alumni

2,200+

Remarkable
Students

65

Award-Winning
Faculty