The Henry Samueli School of Engineering Hires Technology Heavyweights from Government and Local Industry

UCI SAMUELI SCHOOL HIRES TECHNOLOGY HEAVYWEIGHTS FROM GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL INDUSTRY

New Professors Bolster School's Strengths in Microscale and Biomedical Engineering

Irvine, Calif., September 3, 2002 — The Henry Samueli School of Engineering's hiring drive continued with the recent recruitment of three full professors, acknowledged leaders in the areas of microscale/nanoscale device development and biomedical engineering. The new arrivals are Professors Marc J. Madou, William C. Tang and Abraham P. Lee.

Marc J. Madou

Professor Madou, author of the textbook considered the bible for microscale research, "Fundamentals of Microfabrication," joined the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in August 2002. He comes from the San Diego company Nanogen, where he was vice president of advanced technology. Founder of several microtech companies, including ChipRX and Teknekron Sensor Development Corp., Madou also has worked in academia, most recently at the Ohio State University.

Madou's recent research projects include a compact disc to conduct medical tests. Through a series of tiny reservoirs and channels, doctors might one day run medical tests on Madou's novel CD by popping it into an ordinary CD player. The professor also is creating an implantable "smart pill" to offer customized drug delivery. For example, a smart pill designed for a diabetic would use unique biosensors to diagnose and react to low glucose levels by opening tiny chambers of insulin until the glucose levels reached normal.

Madou comes to the school with the designation of Chancellor's Professor, a title reserved to honor exceptional scholars at UCI. He received a doctoral degree in semiconductor electrochemistry at the Solid-State Physics Laboratory at the Rijksuniversiteit in Ghent, Belgium.

William C. Tang

Professor Tang, who most recently led the expansion of MEMS programs at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering in July 2002. Tang works to engineer complex microdevices for use in spacecraft and automobiles, including miniscule crash sensors he created and patented while working for Ford Motor Company. His thesis on the microfabricated electrostatic comb drive, a motor-like technology he has also patented, is one of the most widely-cited papers in the field, a key indicator of a scientist's impact.

Tang's career also has included a stint leading the MEMS program at NASA's illustrious Jet Propulsion Lab at Caltech. He earned a doctoral degree in electrical engineering and computer sciences from UC Berkeley.

Abraham P. Lee

Professor Lee, who comes from the National Cancer Institute and DARPA, joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering earlier this year. Lee works to create microdevices that offer a minimally invasive alternative to conventional methods for diagnosing and treating human disease. The millimeter-sized mechanism he developed to patch brain aneurysms won a Federal Laboratory Consortium award for excellence in technology transfer and is in the process of being commercialized. He currently is working on a thumbnail-sized microchip that could be customized to conduct various biochemical lab tests on the fly.

Lee holds a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from UC Berkeley, where he and Tang met more than a decade ago.

The new hires come on the heels of the recruitment of world-renowned aerospace expert, Satya Atluri, who holds the newly-created position of Henry Samueli "von Karman" Chair in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Last year, the school hired earthquake expert Masanobu Shinozuka to chair the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Since the summer of 2001, the number of engineering faculty has jumped from 70 to 88.