research

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

Electrical Engineering (EE) covers a range of research areas from devices to systems. The emphasis on practice infused with fundamental science and mathematics offers ample research opportunities, both theoretical and experimental, at the forefront of the field and its interdisciplinary applications.

Traditionally preeminent in control theory and robotics, EE at Harvard has actively grown to incorporate new research programs and advances in information technology.

EE is closely tied with Harvard's efforts in Applied Mathematics, Applied Physics, Computer Science, and Bioengineering. Interdisciplinary research efforts include optimal NMR spectroscopy using quantum control, signal processing for fast nanopore DNA sequencing, ultrafast silicon transceivers design using stochastic resonance, Casmir force generation using MEMS devices, and quantum circuits design.

Faculty include leading pioneers of nonlinear control theory, space-time coding for wireless communications, cascade lasers and bandgap engineering, and the authors of the Art of Electronics.

Research Groups

Harvard Advanced IC Lab for Emerging Technologies
Harvard BioControls Laboratory
Harvard Broadband Communications Laboratory
Mixed-Signal VLSI Group
VLSI Research Group

Areas of Focus

Circuits and VLSI

  • low-power memory and reconfigurable computing
  • mixed signal VLSI for high-speed links
  • RF and high-speed integrated circuits for wireless/fiber-optic transceivers
  • high-precision instrumentation
  • statistical electronics
  • soliton electronics
  • quantum circuits

Researchers

Ham, Donhee
Horowitz, Paul
Pfister, Hanspeter
Wei, Gu-Yeon
Westervelt, Robert M.
Yang, Woodward


Communications and Signal Processing

  • detection and estimation
  • modulation and coding
  • array processing
  • network problems
  • audio/visual/neural signal processing
  • video and image analysis
  • electronic DNA sequencing
  • wireless, wireline, and optical communications
  • information storage
  • coding theory
  • scheduling algorithms
  • queing theory
  • MAC layer design
  • network protocols and security
  • network optimization and pricing

Researchers

Kung, H.T.
Tarokh, Vahid
Wolfe, Patrick J.
Zickler, Todd


Computer Engineering

  • computer architecture
  • compilers
  • high-speed networking (gigabet-per-second networks, inter-network interfaces, network security, and scalable Internet service architectures)
  • circuit modeling and design
  • power aware-computing in the presence of deep sub-micron process technologies

Researchers

Brooks, David M.
Smith, Michael D.
Yang, Woodward


Instrumentation and Imaging

  • tool building for micro- and nano-scale fabrication
  • NMR
  • microscopy
  • techniques for image-guided surgery

Researchers

Pfister, Hanspeter
Welsh, Matthew D.
Zickler, Todd

Intelligent Systems and Computer Vision

  • computational vision and control (including visual recognition, tracking, surveillance, navigation and human-computer interfaces)
  • design and control of smart structures
  • the development of robotic and image-guided approaches to minimally invasive surgical procedures
  • design of feedback controllers for stabilization of nonholonomic control systems with applications to locomotion systems
  • the design of computationally efficient algorithms for extracting anatomical information from noisy data collected through various imaging modalities

Researchers

Brockett, Roger W.
Howe, Robert D.
Khaneja, Navin
Pfister, Hanspeter
Tarokh, Vahid
Wood, Robert J.
Zickler, Todd


Photonics and Optical Devices

  • new coherent light sources based on the quantum cascade laser (compact injection parametric oscillators, Raman injection lasers
  • nanostructured semiconductor lasers designed using band-gap engineering, and ultra-short pulses in mid-infrared range)
  • photonic crystals (injection surface plasmon micro-lasers based on artificial defects and nonlinear optical effects)

Researchers

Capasso, Federico
Crozier, Kenneth B.
Loncar, Marko


RF and Microwaves

  • on-chip passive modeling and optimization
  • distributed integrated circuits
  • silicon linear power amplifier design
  • noise wave control
  • ultrasharp electrical pulse generation utilizing shockwave and soliton
  • long-range multiband antennas

Researchers

Ham, Donhee


Stochastic Systems

  • Statistical signal processing

  • statistical learning theory
  • nonlinear filtering and system identification
  • stochastic control
  • optimal control of relaxations in atomic resonance and its applications
  • noise in devices and circuits

Researchers

Brockett, Roger W.
Khaneja, Navin
Smith, Maurice A.
Tarokh, Vahid
Wolfe, Patrick J.


Systems and Control

  • Control of quantum systems
  • biologically inspired control problems
  • nonlinear control, optimization, learning, and failure detection in large complex systems such as electric power grids and communications networks
  • laboratory work involving a wide range of sensing and actuation modalities

Researchers

Brockett, Roger W.
Khaneja, Navin
Smith, Maurice A.
Wood, Robert J.