Postdoctoral Researcher
Tzu-Hsuan (Kevin) Hsu
Postdoctoral Researcher Associate
Mr. Tzu-Hsuan (Kevin) Hsu is expected to receive his Ph.D. degree in Power Mechanical Engineering from National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, in 2024. He received his B.S. degree in Power Mechanical Engineering and his M.S. degree in NanoEngineering and MicroSystems from National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, in 2017 and 2019, respectively. His M.S. thesis targeted the design of a CMOS-MEMS ultrasonic sensor system based on high-performance capacitive transduction. His Ph.D. dissertation focuses on the development of broadband piezoelectric RF acoustic devices targeting next-generation wireless signal processing. He has been a visiting student in the UT RF Acoustic Microsystems Group between Mar. 2023 and Mar. 2024 and is expected to join the group as a postdoctoral research fellow starting Aug. 2024.
Graduate Students
Sinwoo Cho
Graduate Research Assistant
Sinwoo is a third-year Ph.D. Candidate at UT ECE. He received his B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Inje University, Korea, in 2019 and his M.S. degree in Integrated Design Engineering from Keio University, Japan, in 2021. His research primarily focuses on RF acoustic front-end, including RF microsystem, RF MEMS, filter, and resonator. In particular, he works on frequency scaling scandium aluminum nitride (ScAlN) thin-film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) into millimeter wave (mmWave).
He received the IEEE Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) Best Student Paper Finalists in 2024, Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship (QIF) North America Finalists in 2022, and IEEE Texas Symposium on Wireless & Microwave Circuits and Systems (WMCS) Student Research Competition 1st Place Award in 2022.
Contact: sinwoocho at utexas.edu
Jack Kramer
Graduate Research Assistant
Jack is a third-year Ph.D. student at UT ECE. He graduated with a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of New Mexico in May 2021. His previous research involved device modeling, circuit modeling, and electromagnetic FEA simulations. His current research interests include frequency scaling lithium niobate acoustic devices into mm-wave bands.
He received the Best Student Paper Awards at the 2022 IEEE International Conference on Microwave Acoustics & Mechanics (IC-MAM) and the 2023 International Frequency Control Symposium (IFCS). He received the junior Ben Streetman Award in 2024.
Contact: kramerj99 at utexas.edu
Omar Barrera
Graduate Research Assistant
Omar is a third-year Ph.D. student at UT ECE. He graduated with a B.S. degree from UABC in Mexico and an M.Eng. from Dongguk University in Korea, both in Electrical Engineering. He has previous research experience in antennas and RF circuits. He also has industry experience in the automotive industry, where he worked as a manufacturing engineer. His current research interests involve microwave and mm-wave devices and circuits, and more in particular, the development and characterization of acoustic filters for new radio mobile applications.
Omar was the recipient of an Outstanding Student Oral Presentation Award Finalist in IEEE MEMS 2024 and was awarded 2nd place in the Conference Paper Award in
IEEE International Microwave Filter Workshop (IMFW 2024). He has also received a number of financial awards, including the Cadence Diversity in Technology Scholarship in 2023.
Contact: omarb at utexas.edu
Yen-Wei Chang
Graduate Research Assistant
Yen-Wei is a second-year UT ECE Ph.D. student. He received his B.S. degree from National Central University and his M.S. degree from National Taiwan University, both in communication engineering. His previous research interests include CMOS mm-wave power amplifiers and modulator integrated circuits design. He also has work experience in the telecom industry, where he served as a Technical Solution Engineer in Ericsson. His future research interests will cover MEMS applications in RF systems.
Contact: yenwei.chang at utexas.edu
Vakhtang(Vato) Chulukhadze
Graduate Research Assistant
Vakhtang(Vato) Chulukhadze is a second-year UT ECE Ph.D. student. He received his B.S. degree from the University of Rochester in Electrical and Computer Engineering in May 2022. His previous research interests include beamforming and signal processing. He also has experience in audio electronics, embedded systems, and sound design. His current research interests are millimeter wave acoustics and piezoelectric transduction.
He is the 2023 Dorothy and Jim Doyle Scholar, as well as an Elizabeth L. and Russell F. Hallberg Fellow. He receives the Hilton Head 2024 Best Student Poster Finalist.
Contact: vatoc at utexas.edu
Joshua Campbell
Graduate Research Assistant
Joshua is a first-year UT ECE Ph.D. student. He received his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Clemson University in 2023. His research primarily focuses on millimeter surface acoustic waves resonators (mmSAW) and mm-wave bulk acoustic resonators (mmBAR). His previous research includes sintering optimization in multilayer ceramic capacitors and applications of orbital angular momentum Bessel beams. Outside of the lab, Joshua enjoys video games and weightlifting.
He received the DoD National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) in 2024.
Contact: jcampbell at utexas.edu
Ian Anderson
Graduate Research Assistant
Ian Anderson is a first-year ECE Ph.D. at UT Austin. He received his bachelor’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Ohio State University in Spring 2023. His research there focused on wearable technology with antennas and electromagnetics for bio-focused applications, with internships in both cybersecurity and radar systems. At UT, his current research interests include studies of acoustic delay lines and studying their loss mechanisms for high-frequency devices.
He received NASA Space Technology Graduate Research (NSTRO) Fellowship in 2024.
Contact: ianderson at utexas.edu
Ziqian (Hanson) Yao
Graduate Research Assistant
Ziqian (Hanson) Yao will join as a first-year UT ECE Ph.D. student in 2024. He will receive his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2024. His previous research includes p+/n+ GaAs/Si and p+/n+ Si/Si Esaki diode fabrication with Al2O3 atomic layer deposition (ALD) buffer layer; Ni/Au bilayer electroplating; custom thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cell test facility design and construction.
He is a recipient of the UT Graduate School Fellowship and the Cockrell School of Engineering Mentoring Fellowship.
Contact: hanson.yao at utexas.edu
Rui Zhang
Graduate Research Assistant
Rui Zhang will join as a first-year UT ECE Ph.D. student in 2024. He will receive his B.E. degree in Electronic Science & Technology from Southeast University in 2024. His previous research includes fast-response capacitive humidity sensors and resonant SAW humidity sensors.
Contact: r.zhang at utexas.edu
Undergraduate Students
Naveed Ahmed
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Naveed Ahmed is a second-year UT ECE undergraduate student. He will graduate with his B.S. degree in May 2025. He currently plans to graduate with a specialization in Embedded Systems, Integrated Circuits, and Software Design. He enjoys competitive mathematics.
Aaron Cheng
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Aaron Cheng is a first-year ECE undergraduate student at UT. He is interested in the development of next-generation chips and plans to graduate with a specialization in Electronics and Integrated Circuits. Outside of school, he enjoys cooking and exploring the world.
Vivek Tallavajhula
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Vivek is a second-year UT ECE undergraduate. He will receive his B.S. in May 2026, specializing in MEMS, Integrated Circuits, and Software Engineering. His other interests include playing basketball and fantasy football.
Mihir Chaudhari
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Mihir is a second-year undergraduate at UT. He is interested in analog electronics, semiconductors, nanotechnology, and fields and waves. In his free time he enjoys learning, creating music, and making funny video games.
Neinei Du
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Neinei Du is a second-year SUNY Stony Brook undergraduate student in MEC and AMS. She is joining our group in Summer 2024 as a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) student. She is interested in integrated circuits and nanotechnology. Non-school-related, she enjoys indoor rock climbing, hiking on nature trails, and origami.