The University of Tennessee is not just a hub of academic excellence; it’s a powerhouse of innovation where brilliant minds turn groundbreaking research into real-world solutions. Among these trailblazers is Ahmedullah Aziz, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UT Knoxville. He stands out for his relentless drive and problem-solving capabilities.
In the past two years alone, UTRF has partnered with Aziz on six patent applications. Aziz also received support from the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund, and he and his students participated in the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps program on multiple technologies.
UTRF has a wonderful, collaborative relationship with Aziz,” said Gregory Sechrist, technology manager at UTRF’s Multi-Campus Office. “Aziz’s openness to feedback, positive attitude, and willingness to pursue different commercialization avenues not only increases the likelihood of success, but makes him enjoyable to work with. I am excited to see where these technologies lead!”
Aziz operates the Nanoelectronic Devices and Integrated Circuits (NorDIC) Lab, where his team explores the use of new materials and application driven novel device designs for emerging computing and superconducting applications. Examples of his technologies include novel circuit designs for cryogenic and quantum computing applications, superconducting artificial synapses for neuromorphic computing, and a smart pixel with efficient pixel-level binarization capabilities from a sub-micron size.
As an academic, my primary role is researching, teaching, and serving the community. I feel my research can have the highest impact if I translate it into public benefit,” said Aziz. “I encourage my students to think about ideas that could potentially be used in their lifetime during their career so that they could see their ideas in fruition, something, improving lives.”
At this point in his career, his primary strategy is to pursue projects with strong commercial potential and work with UTRF to advance his research or his students’ work. He encourages them to work with UTRF to consider commercialization, whether it’s a startup or a license to an industry player.
My students are always excited whenever they have a new idea,” he said. “They come to my office and say, ‘Should we submit it as a disclosure?’ A couple of years ago, we would only think about conferences or journals, but now we’re also considering if our ideas are patentable, and that’s thanks to UTRF’s support and guidance.”
One of Aziz’s standout projects, “Reimagining Superconducting Logic Systems with Ferroelectric SQUID and Heater Cryotron,” was recently awarded as part of the inaugural Chancellor’s Innovation Fund, which selected five faculty members to receive $50,000 and additional support to move their ideas from the lab to the market.
I’m thrilled to have an opportunity like this at UTK, where the Chancellor actively supports funding initiatives that lead to commercialization,” he said. “That will help and encourage more faculty members and students to participate and think of ideas that will lead to commercialization.”
Earlier this month, Aziz delivered a plenary talk on superconducting electronics at the 2024 Energy-Efficient Computing for Science Workshop, sponsored by the Department of Energy’s Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research. Further, the Journal of Applied Physics also announced Aziz as one of three winners of the 2023 Journal of Applied Physics Early Career Investigator Selection’s Best Paper award for his publication titled, “A review of cryogenic neuromorphic hardware.” His work in this area is gaining recognition from federal agencies, academic institutions, and industry leaders.
Our work is getting recognition, which is very encouraging,” he said. “A few decades ago, superconductors were like science fiction materials. Now, we are at a stage where quantum computing is on the horizon, and high-performance computing has reached unimaginable proportions in terms of energy demands. Superconducting electronics is getting more attention because their performance metrics can go far beyond the fundamental limits of semiconductors.”
Aziz looks forward to working with UTRF to transfer his innovations from the lab and find new solutions that will contribute to the field. “I can confidently say that I’ve never seen a friendlier office to work with than UTRF,” he said. “They have been wonderful in helping, supporting, and guiding our research directions toward commercialization.”