Alumni News

UC San Diego Startup Wins $2.4 Million Defense Department Contract to Improve Battery Performance

May 23, 2023

Ateios Systems, a battery materials innovation company started by two UC San Diego alumni, announced recently that it has been awarded $2.4 million by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to help improve battery material performance and production. This effort will support a variety of critical military applications. Full Story

Commercial-scale Biomanufactured Melatonin is Here

April 11, 2023

For the first time, large amounts of melatonin are being made by bacteria. Engineered E. coli are feeding on glucose and churning out melatonin, the hormone that controls circadian rhythms. This mode of manufacturing is growing thanks in part to bioengineering advances made at UC San Diego. Full Story

Team of UC San Diego Entrepreneurs Pushes Biomedicine Forward with Virtual Reality

March 27, 2023

If you were looking for a poster child for the strength of UC San Diego’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, the company Nanome would be a strong contender. Founded by Steven McCloskey ’15, Keita Funakawa ’16, Edgardo Leija ’14 and Samuel Hessenauer ’16 in 2016, Nanome offers software that brings molecular interactions to vivid, three-dimensional life in virtual, augmented and mixed reality. The interface has proven successful in accelerating drug discovery and has attracted clients that include over half of the world’s top 20 pharmaceutical firms. Nanome’s educational software has been downloaded by more than 250 universities. Full Story

Alumni-led startup makes 3D printers for rugged environments

January 25, 2023

For Eric Shnell, his innovation journey began right here at UC San Diego in 2018 when he founded his startup Craitor, which develops highly capable, resilient and intuitive 3D printers for those who work far outside the sterile controls of a lab or shop.  Full Story

Alumni startup aims to make 3D-printed prostheses accessible and affordable.

November 4, 2022

By using a combination of personalized scans as well as digital designs and 3D printing on a large scale, the LIMBER team believes it could reduce the cost of a prosthesis by anywhere from 50% to 90%, delivering prosthetics much faster to those who need them. Full Story

Franklin Antonio Hall opens its doors

September 29, 2022

The UC San Diego campus community turned out in big numbers last Friday to celebrate the opening of the sleek and soaring Franklin Antonio Hall. The 186,000 square foot building is not only innovative in its architecture, it’s also ground-breaking in how research teams are organized within the building. Full Story

Setting the stage for solid-state battery success

August 2, 2022

Battery researchers and other engineers from University of California San Diego, with collaboration from the LG Energy Solution, have published a forward-looking perspective article in the journal Joule. In the article, the researchers outline three categories of engineering challenges that must be solved in order to transition all-solid-state batteries from the laboratory toward large-scale industrial manufacturing. These three challenges are that of precursors, processing and pressure.   Full Story

Alumni Q&A: David Loo, serial entrepreneur on his journey and inviting luck into your professional life

May 24, 2022

David Loo graduated from UC San Diego in 1991 with a degree in computer engineering. During his 35-year career, he worked his way up from software engineer to founding developer of ServiceNow and CEO of Perspectium, the company he cofounded after leaving ServiceNow. In this Q&A, Loo talks about his journey and gives some advice about how to invite luck into your professional life.   Full Story

Student startup LIMBER makes 3D-printed prostheses affordable and accessible

May 19, 2022

Using this combination of personalized scans as well as digital designs and 3D-printing on a large scale could reduce the cost of a prosthesis by anywhere from 50% to 90% and deliver prosthetics much faster to those who need them. Ph student Joshua Pelz, postdoctoral researcher Luca De Vivo and prosthetics expert Herb Barrack have formed a startup, LIMBER Prosthetics & Orthotics, Inc., to commercialize the technology. Full Story

Arrhythmia mapping technology demonstrates positive clinical results

May 4, 2022

Bioengineers and cardiologists from UC San Diego invented a technology that can accurately and noninvasively map atrial and ventricular heart arrhythmias in a matter of minutes. The technology demonstrated 97.3 percent accuracy in a clinical validation study, and recently received FDA clearance. Full Story

Bioengineering alumnus on COVID-19 antiviral pill development team

February 24, 2022

Jacobs School of Engineering alumnus Britton Boras shares how his graduate degree prepared him for a career at Pfizer, where he was on the team that developed a COVID-19 antiviral pill. Full Story

Let There be Light

January 27, 2022

After arriving in the United States from Myanmar at age 13, UC San Diego alumnus Lin Thu Hein is now using his degree in electrical engineering to bring solar-powered lighting to people off the grid and displaced by the recent unrest in his home state of Kachin in Myanmar. He received an Echoing Green Fellowship for this work. Full Story

News Obituary: Remembering Paul A. Libby, founding
UC San Diego faculty member

January 24, 2022

Paul A. Libby, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering  (MAE) at the University of California San Diego, passed away on Nov. 2, 2021, at the age of 100 in La Jolla, Calif. An international expert in turbulence and combustion, Libby was recruited in 1964 by Professor Stanford “Sol” Penner as one of 10 founding faculty members of the Department of Applied Mechanics and Engineering Science (AMES) at the newly formed campus in La Jolla.   Full Story

Once again, NASA chooses a UC San Diego graduate for astronaut training

December 6, 2021

NASA on Monday chose a UC San Diego chemical engineering graduate to train to become an astronaut, a decision that comes as the space agency is preparing to send humans back to the moon, possibly as early as 2025. Full Story

Bioengineering alumnus' sustainable chemical company raises $118M

August 5, 2021

UC San Diego bioengineering alumnus Christophe Schilling is the cofounder and CEO of Genomatica, which just raised $118M in funding led by Novo Holdings. Genomatica makes sustainable, renewably-sourced chemicals and materials. Full Story

Alumna Chuah delivers 2021 CFK Memorial Lecture to Institution of Engineers, Malaysia

August 5, 2021

After earning her PhD in electrical engineering from the Jacobs School, Mooi Choo Chuah spent years conducting research in industry before becoming a computer science professor at Lehigh University. Chuah, who holds 63 patents, shared her industry to academia journey as she delivered the 31st Annual Professor Chin Fung Kee Memorial Lecture. Full Story

Titomic acquires alumni-led Tri-D Dynamics

August 5, 2021

Congrats to UC San Diego engineering alumni Deepak Atyam (aerospace), Alexander Finch and Jesse Lang (both structural), whose company Tri-D Dynamics was acquired by Titomic Limited. Tri-D develops smart, IoT connected pipe infrastructure. Full Story

Ishwar K. Puri named USC vice president for research

July 7, 2021

Ishwar K. Puri, an internationally known scientist and engineer whose research has explored fire safety, nanotechnology and 3D cell printing, has been named USC’s new vice president for research. Puri earned a PhD in engineering Science from the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego. Full Story

Women in Engineering --Anna Pridmore, P.E., Ph.D.

June 23, 2021

Anna Pridmore graduated from UC San Diego in 2009, with a Ph.D. in structural engineering, with a focus in advanced composites, design, material science and structural analysis. Today, she is vice president-pipeline and water infrastructure solutions at Structural Technologies. Full Story

UC San Diego Engineering Ranks #9 in U.S. News and World Report Best Engineering Schools Rankings

March 30, 2021

For the second year in a row, the University of California San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering has ranked #9 in the nation in the influential U.S. News & World Report Rankings of Best Engineering Schools.    Full Story

With gene therapy, scientists develop opioid-free solution for chronic pain

March 10, 2021

A gene therapy for chronic pain could offer a safer, non-addictive alternative to opioids. By temporarily repressing a gene involved in sensing pain, the treatment increased pain tolerance in mice, lowered their sensitivity to pain and provided months of pain relief without causing numbness. Full Story

The Spectacular Synthesis of Spider Silk

January 26, 2021

For David Breslauer, a UC San Diego bioengineering alumnus and co-founder and chief scientific officer at Bolt Threads, a bioengineering company in Emeryville, Calif., the potential of the spider and the mushroom represent not just another way to make apparel, but a way to bring greater sustainability to the clothing industry. Full Story

Triton 5: Ji-San Lee '11

January 26, 2021

Structural engineering alumnus Ji-San Lee is the senior designer for CLAE Footwear, working to make their shoes more sustainable through recycled materials.  Full Story

UC San Diego Alumnus at Helm of Company Behind First At-Home COVID Test

January 21, 2021

In November 2020, Lucira Health received emergency use authorization for the first rapid at-home COVID-19 test from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Erik Engelson, a UC San Diego bioengineering and microbiology alumnus, is president and CEO of Lucira Health. He spoke about the process of getting the COVID-19 test kit through FDA emergency use authorization, his time at UC San Diego, and advice for students, in this Q&A. Full Story

Alumna spotlight: Bridget Benson, electrical engineering professor at Cal Poly

January 8, 2021

Jacobs School computer science and engineering and Center for Machine Integrated Computing and Security alumna Bridget Benson shares her journey to becoming an associate professor of electrical engineering at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.  Full Story

Moving forward, looking back

December 23, 2020

As we look back at 2020 and move forward in 2021, there are two high-level moves we are also making. These moves are designed to ensure the Jacobs School emerges more ready than ever to confront the challenges, injustices, and societal and innovation needs laid bare by the pandemic. Full Story

Jacobs School alumni kickstart Dean's Scholars of Excellence program

December 15, 2020

Education is the great equalizer. Jacobs School of Engineering alumni Mary Bui-Pham and Dan Pham have seen this play out in their own lives, and have donated the funds to endow a scholarship supporting students with outstanding academic merit, including students who have made or show potential to contribute to diversity, equity and inclusion; first generation; and low-income engineering students. Their gift launched the larger Jacobs School of Engineering Dean’s Scholars of Excellence program, a school-wide scholarship program meant to advance equal access to a Jacobs School education. Full Story

Bioengineering alumnus named to Forbes 30 Under 30

December 15, 2020

UC San Diego bioengineering and biology alumnus Joshua Yang was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Healthcare. Yang, an MD-PhD student at Johns Hopkins, cofounded kidney diagnostics startup Nephrosant, and is active in healthcare venture capital due diligance.  Full Story

Passing of Shao-chi Lin, Professor Emeritus of Engineering at UC San Diego

December 11, 2020

Shao-chi Lin, Professor Emeritus of Engineering at the University of California San Diego, died on October 8, 2020 at the age of 95. He is remembered by former students and colleagues as a talented and caring teacher, mentor and researcher; and an active member of the campus community.   Full Story

ECE department launches virtual alumni mentorship program

November 19, 2020

In an effort to keep students and alumni engaged and connected to campus resources during months of remote school and work, the Jacobs School’s Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department’s Alumni Advisory Board launched an ECE Alumni Mentorship Program (AMP) in October. Full Story

Alumni-led Lucira Health earns 1st FDA authorization for at-home COVID test

November 18, 2020

On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization to the first rapid at-home COVID-19 test, developed by Lucira Health. Erik Engelson, a UC San Diego bioengineering and microbiology alumnus, is president and CEO of Lucira Health Full Story

Alumni bring advanced 3D printing to space

November 16, 2020

UC San Diego alumni here on Earth and in space were part of the team that brought a Turbine Ceramic Manufacturing Module to the International Space Station. Full Story

Alumni battery startup raises $1.25M

November 6, 2020

Flexible battery startup Ateios, founded by Jacobs School of Engineering alumni, has raised $1.25 million in seed funding to bring its paper-thin, customizable batteries to market. Full Story

Company founded by engineering alumni advances 1-hour COVID test

April 7, 2020

Medical diagnostic company Fluxergy, founded by UC San Diego engineering alumni, submitted an Emergency Use Authorization to the FDA for their quick, point-of-care COVID-19 test. Full Story

Passion drives True Tritons to service

January 30, 2020

From creating scholarships and providing leadership, to student mentoring and preserving the arts, four shining examples of Triton passion and commitment will be honored Feb. 7 at UC San Diego’s True Triton Celebration to be held in the Great Hall on campus. Full Story

UC San Diego startup selected as finalist in UC Pitch contest

January 30, 2020

A startup founded by a UC San Diego electrical and computer engineering graduate student is one of five finalists in the 2020 UC Pitch Startup Showcase held Jan. 29 and 30 in tandem with the Global Corporate Venturing and Innovation Summit in Monterey, Calif. Full Story

Ozgur Sinanoglu (PhD '05), Cybersecurity Trailblazer

January 28, 2020

In Ozgur Sinanoglu’s Design for Excellence lab at New York University’s Abu Dhabi campus, a major development in cybersecurity has emerged. The Electrical and Computer Engineering professor and his team of eight researchers have made news over the last couple of years with their strides to create a chip that can stand up to a variety of threats and attempts to violate its security. A first-of-its kind chip that would be unhackable. Sinanoglu is an alumnus of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at UC San Diego.  Full Story

The Epic Lives of Albert Lin

January 9, 2020

UC San Diego engineering alumnus Albert Yu-Min Lin can be described in many ways: explorer, engineer, scientist, artist, surfer, humanist, traveler, philosopher, father. It’s a challenge to capture Lin, whether in a few words or just for a quick phone call. He seems to have an endless supply of momentum—an energy, curiosity and optimism as big as the world he is continually exploring. Full Story

Bianca Zadrozny (PhD '03): Developing Novel Approaches to Natural Resources Discovery and Exploration

January 8, 2020

Since earning her PhD in computer science in 2003, Bianca Zadrozny has pursued her computer science career, in both industry and academia, in two countries. Her path has led her to IBM Research in Brazil, where she oversees natural resources analytics research.  Her group’s mission is to conduct research projects in data-driven and physically driven analytics, aiming to develop novel technologies that can help in smarter natural resources discovery and exploration.  Full Story

Preserving Libraries in the Sand

January 7, 2020

Interdisciplinary partners at UC San Diego are using drones and 3D-modeling to save Puerto Rico’s indigenous history from the sea. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in late 2018, Eric Lo, a Jacobs School alumnus who now works at the Qualcomm Institute at UC San Diego, touched down in Puerto Rico with a single goal: find the ancient archaeological site he had helped monitor for more than a year and assess the damage.   Full Story

News Obituary: Y.C. Bert Fung

December 20, 2019

Yuan-Cheng “Bert” Fung, known as “the father of biomechanics” and one of the founders of the discipline of bioengineering at the University of California San Diego, passed away Dec. 15, 2019 of natural causes. He was 100. Full Story

Understanding and Combating the Economic Pull of Cybercrime

November 27, 2019

Neha Chachra works as an Engineering Manager at Facebook, where she has been employed since 2016, leading a team that protects Facebook against abusive links, protecting the platform from harmful URLs that expose users to phishing, spamming and malware. The work is a natural progression of her research and interests at UC San Diego, where she received her Ph.D. in 2015. Full Story

UC San Diego Institute for the Global Entrepreneur launches Medtech Accelerator, Shah Family Fellowships, and Founders Fund

November 21, 2019

During its inaugural showcase, the Institute for the Global Entrepreneur announced it’s launching a new MedTech Accelerator, as well as the Shah Family Entrepreneur Fellowship, and a new IGE Founders Fund, seeded with an initial $1 million philanthropic gift from the Legler Benbough Foundation. Full Story

Franklin Antonio Hall Groundbreaking Celebration

November 21, 2019

The University of California San Diego celebrated the groundbreaking of its newest engineering building, Franklin Antonio Hall, on Friday. The building is designed for active learning, collaborative research and the transfer of innovation to society.  Full Story

I Sit in the Red Chair Because...

November 21, 2019

They came in droves to sit in the Red Chair–graduate students, undergrads, faculty, staff, deans, the chancellor. They came to express their thoughts on diversity—and the results were powerful.“I sit so that one day every student can look at their classroom and see people who are like them,” said undergrad Joyaan Bhesania."I sit for my ancestors who could not,” said Becky Petitt, Vice Chancellor of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. “And I'm grateful that they opened doors for me to be able to sit here.” Full Story

Bioengineering Pioneer Y.C. Bert Fung Turns 100

October 3, 2019

Thousands of professors, engineers, scientists and students around the world work in the field of biomechanics, the study of physics and mechanics applied to living tissues. But they are all somehow connected to Professor Y.C. “Bert” Fung at the University of California San Diego. Some use Fung’s findings in their work. Others were trained by or worked with Fung’s students. A core group studied directly under him. Fung realized that physics and mechanics apply to living tissues just as they do to manmade structures. He is often referred to as “the father of biomechanics.” Full Story

App allows inspectors to find gas pump skimmers faster

August 14, 2019

A team of computer scientists at UC San Diego and the University of Illinois has developed an app that allows state and federal inspectors to detect devices that steal consumer credit and debit card data at gas pumps. The devices, known as skimmers, use Bluetooth to transmit the data they steal. Full Story

In memory of Robert Hecht-Nielsen, an influential neuroscientist, entrepreneur and UC San Diego professor

July 1, 2019

Robert Hecht-Nielsen was an influential neuroscientist, entrepreneur, and electrical engineering professor at the University of California San Diego. He passed away in his sleep on May 26, 2019 in Del Mar, Calif. He was 71 years old. A pioneer in the development of neural networks, Hecht-Nielsen authored the first textbook on the subject, Neurocomputing, in 1989.  Full Story

How UCSD changed my life and might change your life too: A Q&A with ECE alumnus Dan Chang

June 10, 2019

Dan Chang feels that he left the world a better place after his 30 years in industry and credits his time at UC San Diego with putting him on that path.  He is passionate about ensuring that our current engineering students know that they are capable of doing more than making a lot of money with their degree.  Full Story

Engineering Students Find New, Unexpected Careers in Biomedicine

May 28, 2019

Two years ago, as fourth-year undergraduate students majoring in engineering, Yan Gong and Lu Xu had no idea they were about to enter the world of biomedicine. They were in a circuits class when their professor recommended them for positions in Imanuel Lerman’s lab, which was searching for students to help with developing a treatment for chronic pain. One of their first meetings with Lerman was at a hospital where Lerman,  associate professor with UC San Diego’s Department of Anesthesiology, asked the two students to solve an issue with interference that was jamming his medical research neurotechnology devices. Without his tools, he couldn’t accurately measure his patients’ physiological responses to a novel neurotechnology he hoped would dampen their responses to pain. Full Story