Alex Yasha Yi has joined the faculty in electrical engineering and become the Director of Research at the Connected Systems Institute.
He comes to the college from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he was a faculty member in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and a Provost Fellow with both the Dearborn campus and the Energy Institute at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
“His expertise reinforces the already significant growth potential of CSI,” said Joe Hamann, executive director of the institute. “Alex has a proven track record of capturing significant funding from federal agencies and industry partners. We are excited for him to join the team and look forward to continued research advancements he will bring in optoelectronics, solid-state electronics, and advanced manufacturing.”
His areas of research include intelligent solid-state electronics, integrated devices for artificial intelligence, and smart energy-related optoelectronic devices.
Yi has applied nano-optoelectronic devices to applications in energy, solid state lighting, biomedicine, photonic sensors, and autonomous driving. Because they can manipulate light at the atomic scale, integrating optoelectronics can improve performance in devices, compared to larger-scale solutions.
Some of his other research highlights include:
- Pioneered textured nanomaterials that interact with light and electricity, advancing thinner, more efficient solar panels and other renewable energy technologies.
- Developed a compact Lidar system for Mcity, enhancing safety testing of self-driving and connected vehicles.
- Created semiconductor-based sensors that detect particles or molecules as small as those in air pollution.
Yi received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was a post-doctoral associate with MIT’s Microsystems Technology Laboratory.
A fellow of the Optical Society of America, Yi has had leadership experiences with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Air Force Research Laboratory, and the 3M Corporate Research Laboratory. He holds 18 issued U.S. patents.