vt ece undergraduate research

Faculty Listing by Research Areas

Antennas & propagation.

Ellingson, Steven

Manteghi, Majid

Safaai-Jazi, Ahmad

Zaghloul, Amir

Autonomous Systems

Batarseh, Feras

Stilwell, Daniel

Williams, Ryan

Cognitive Science & Signal Processing

Paul, JoAnn

Wyatt, Christopher

Embedded & Secure Systems

Ampadu, Paul

Chantem, Thidapat (Tam)

Diehl, William

Gerdes, Ryan

Min, Changwoo

Nazhandali, Leyla

Patterson, Cameron

Zeng, Haibo

Energy Systems

Centeno, Virgilio

De La Ree, Jaime

Ghassemi, Mona

Kekatos, Vassilis

Liu, Chen-Ching

Mehrizi-Sani, Ali

Mili, Lamine

Rahman, Saifur

High Performance & Configurable Computing

Athanas, Peter

Plassmann, Paul

Yi, Yang (Cindy)

Machine Perception

Doan, Thinh

Jones, Creed

Xuan, Jason

Microsystems, Optoelectronics & Devices

Agah, Masoud

Guido, Louis

Hudait, Mantu

Lu, Guo-Quan (G. Q.)

Orlowski, Marius

Sands, Timothy

Multifunctional Integrated Circuits & Systems

Lester, Luke

Networks & Cybersecurity

Dhillon, Harpreet

Hou, Thomas

Liu, Lingjia

Midkiff, Scott

Park, Jerry

Saad, Walid

Yang, Yaling

Optics and Photonics

Jia, Xiaoting

Poon, Ting-Chung (T.-C.)

Zhu, Yizheng

Zhu, Yunhui

Pervasive & Configurable Computing

Jones, Mark

Martin, Thomas

Power Electronics Systems

Boroyevich, Dushan

Burgos, Rolando

Lai, Jih-Sheng (Jason)

Zhang, Yuhao

Space & Atmospheric Science

Bailey, Scott

Baker, Joseph

Earle, Gregory

Lind, Elena

McGwier, Robert

Ruohoniemi, J. Michael

Scales, Wayne

Weimer, Daniel

Systems Biology & Bioinformatics

Baumann, William

Wang, Yue (Joseph)

Yu, Guoqiang

Systems Software & Design Technology

Hsiao, Michael

Ravindran, Binoy

Wireless & Secure Systems

Buehrer, R.

Dietrich, Carl

Reed, Jeffrey

Tront, Joseph

CEE Undergraduate Research

Welcome to the Undergraduate Research website for Civil and Environmental Engineering Students.  We are so glad you are here! 

The purpose of this website is to make the undergraduate research process more transparent and efficient.  This program offers the perfect opportunity to work closely with CEE faculty in your field, acquire skills for your future career and earn course credit or wages in the meantime.

Don't know what undergraduate research is?   Check out the  interesting projects  from the past.

Funding opportunities:   If you are looking for additional research for pay options, there are funding opportunities available.

Course registration:   Register  your undergraduate research experience during course registration.

How can faculty get involved? Please email information about your research opening using the template to Kara Lattimer ([email protected]). Typically calls are advertised for 1 month.

How can companies get involved?  Information can be found on our Company Form .

This page is maintained by Kara Lattimer.

Getting Started Guide

Participating in Undergraduate Research can be intimidating, but the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is here to help! There is no timeline for getting started in undergraduate research. You can participate as early as your first year and as late as your last. We recommend that you begin your research journey as soon as you know that you are interested.

Use our helpful guide to help you take your first steps into undergraduate research and remember that the Office of Undergraduate Research is always available to answer your questions, offer advice and support, and generally help you along your unique research journey.

Roadmap to Getting Started with Undergraduate Research

Step 1: Identify your Interests

Ask yourself: Why do I want to do undergraduate research? What am I curious or passionate about?

Think about what you hope to gain from a research experience - particular skills, experiences, understanding of how course content connects to “real life”, knowledge in a specific area, etc. Though adding items to your resume is a practical reason for interest in research and may help boost your chances for acceptance into graduate/professional programs or for employment, this will not impress or inspire a research mentor to work with you. Find a more personal and specific reason for wanting to pursue research. 

Undergraduate research opportunities exist in every major and you are not tied to doing research only within your major. You are only limited by your curiosity and passion.

Step 2: Inquire

What type of experience do I want?

There are many ways to get involved in research to fit it into your undergraduate experience.   

• Volunteer or shadow Do you think you are interested in pursuing undergraduate research but are not quite sure if you want to commit? Volunteering or shadowing are great options to explore different topics and types of research.
• Academic credit Undergraduate research can be added to your course schedule and may even count towards completion of your degree. Students typically take 1-3 credits of research a semester where 1 credit hour equates to about 3 hours of actual research. You cannot add undergraduate research to your schedule without the approval of a research mentor and must fill out the appropriate college forms . This form is typically due within the first week of classes each semester and must be submitted to your academic Dean’s office. Most research experiences during the academic year are arranged the semester before. Eligibility requirements, topics, deadline, and details of the experience vary so start looking early to connect with faculty.
• Summer fellowships Summer undergraduate research fellowships (SURFs) are typically 8-10 weeks long, expect 40 hours of research each week, and provide a stipend. The applications for SURFs typically open during the winter, with some as early as October and are due in early spring.
• For pay There are paid research positions through Virginia Tech and other research institutions. Undergraduate research may count as a Federal Work Study position .   

When do I want to get started? How much time do I want to commit?

Plan for which semester or summer that you know you will have the time to commit to research. Most academic year research experiences are arranged the semester before. Your schedule and time commitment is dependent on the faculty/lab that you work with and your personal schedule. Direct research mentoring often happens during business hours and in most disciplines direct supervision is necessary until you have developed a solid foundation of skills and earned the trust of your mentor.

Step 3: Find Faculty and Programs

Who is performing work in this area? What research programs are there?

The OUR has a database of research opportunities at Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech research abroad, and research beyond Virginia Tech. The OUR also sends out a weekly newsletter with opportunities as they are sent to us.

We recommend that you look at Virginia Tech departmental websites and listservs and read about the research that the department and faculty are performing. The OUR Ambassadors have weekly office hours and can be reached by email if you want to know about their undergraduate research journeys and can help students with general information in getting started in undergraduate research. Your professors, Graduate Assistants (GAs), Teaching Assistants (TAs), and peers are also great resources.

Step 4: Connect and Apply

If you are interested in research that a professor/lab is doing, send a professional email explaining who you are, why you are interested in their work specifically, what makes you a good fit, and what you are looking for. Make sure to attach your resume or CV. Faculty are more than happy to talk to students about their research and welcome them to work on their research projects, you do not necessarily have to have research experience to get started. These faculty are in search of reliable and enthusiastic students!

If you are interested in a research fellowship or more formal program ensure that you are aware of important dates and deadlines. These programs often require letter(s) of reference from a professor. The application for summer fellowships typically open during the winter.

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College Undergraduate Research Forms

• --> General Item Research Credit -->

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The Office of Undergraduate Research supports the students’ authentic research experiences in all areas of scholarship, promotes dissemination of student research, and provides data and programmatic support for grant-sponsored undergraduate research programs. 

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2023-2024 Academic Catalog

2023-2024 course catalog.

Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.

Explore Programs

Search courses, applied electromagnetics major, program curriculum, secondary focus requirement.

The ECE secondary focus requirement can be completed in one of two ways:

Focus Areas within ECE

The ECE secondary focus requirement consists of 3 ECE courses (9 credits) at the 3xxx level, 4xxx level, or 5xxx level where at least one course (3 credits) is at the 4xxx or 5xxx level. None of the 3 courses can duplicate a course from the student’s major. All courses used for secondary focus must be taken on an A-F basis. For purposes of satisfying the secondary focus requirements, the sum of the number of hours taken from ECE 4974 Independent Study and ECE 4994 Undergraduate Research cannot exceed 6 credits.

The following courses are also included in the secondary focus:

The following courses cannot be used toward secondary focus:

Individualized Secondary Focus

(Must be preapproved by ECE Department)

Electrical and computer engineering has applications across a wide variety of fields, such as medicine, human-computer interaction, finance, and entertainment. People with ECE degrees can be entrepreneurs, patent lawyers, policy makers, and business executives. The individualized secondary focus helps students pursue these interests. This option can be used in place of a pre-defined, in-department secondary focus.

The individualized secondary focus typically is pursued via an already defined university-approved program such as a degree, major, minor, or certificate that the student has declared. Students are encouraged to select courses from these programs, subject to the guidelines below.

• To begin this process, students must first meet with their academic advisor.
• The student must complete a brief proposal form describing the expected added value to their major. This includes a narrative about how these courses support the student’s career goals and ability to achieve their professional aspirations. This proposal must be approved by the Director of Undergrad Program or designee.
• None of the courses may duplicate the student’s ECE major requirements.
• None of the courses can be at the 1xxx level (1xxx courses required for university-approved programs, e.g. minors, can be used for a student’s free electives).
• A maximum of one course can be at the 2xxx level, and only if it is a requirement of a university approved program, or if the course is a prerequisite to one or more of the other two courses in the individualized secondary focus.
• A minimum of one course must be at the 4xxx level.
• If the set of courses is part of an already defined university program, the student should attach documentation to the proposal form.
• If the set of three courses are not part of an already defined university-approved program, the student must also obtain written approval from the department that houses the courses.
• It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the set of courses is available to be taken in a timely manner. The ECE department is not responsible for changes of programs elsewhere in the university.

Restricted Electives

Math elective, general information about checksheet.

Course offerings are subject to change and the availability of sufficient resources. Students should confirm course offerings in advance with their department.

Graduation Requirements

Each student must complete at least 129 semester credit hours with a minimum overall GPA of 2.00 and a minimum in-major GPA of 2.00. In determining the Applied Electromagnetics in-major GPA, all ECE courses plus ENGE 4735 and ENGE 4736, including repeats, are used.

Change of Major Requirements

Please see: https://eng.vt.edu/em

Foreign Language Requirements

Students must have had 2 years of a foreign language in high school or one year at the college level (6 credit hours) of the same language. College-level credits used to meet this requirement do not count towards the degree.

Satisfactory Progress Towards Degree

University Policy 91 outlines university-wide minimum criteria to determine if students are making satisfactory progress towards the completion of their degrees. The ECE Department fully supports this policy. Specific expectations for satisfactory progress for BSCPE and BSEE majors are as follows:

• Each student must meet the minimum University-wide criteria as described in Policy 91 and summarized in the Undergraduate Catalog (under Academic Policies)
• Upon completing 2 semesters in ECE, students must have satisfactorily completed ECE 2024 Circuits and Devices , ECE 2514 Computational Engineering , ECE 2544 Fundamentals of Digital Systems , MATH 2214 Introduction to Differential Equations , and PHYS 2306 Foundations of Physics
• Upon completing 3 semesters in ECE, students must have satisfactorily completed ECE 2804 Integrated Design Project .
• Upon attempting 90 credits, BSCPE and BSEE students must have successfully completed 33 credits of in-major courses and have 2.0 overall and in-major GPAs. (The BSCPE and BSEE in-major GPA includes all ECE courses, including repeats).

Grade Requirement for Core Courses

Students must earn a C or higher in all ECE core courses: ECE 1004 Introduction to ECE Concepts , ECE 2024 Circuits and Devices , ECE 2214 Physical Electronics , ECE 2514 Computational Engineering , ECE 2544 Fundamentals of Digital Systems ,  ECE 2564 Embedded Systems , ECE 2714 Signals and Systems , and ECE 2804 Integrated Design Project .

Statement of Prerequisites

Pre-requisites for each course are listed. In general, all ECE courses require a C- or better in prerequisite courses. Students must earn a C or higher in all ECE core courses (listed above). There are no hidden prerequisites in this program of study. Prerequisites may change from what is indicated. Be sure to consult the Timetable of Classes or check with your advisor for the most current requirements.

Pathways to General Education (Pathways)

Consult the pathways courses table:  https://www.pathways.prov.vt.edu/about/table.html . Pathways courses need to be completed prior to graduation.

 Restricted Electives

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• 2024 ECE Day: Seminars and Student Research Competition

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Illinois Institute of Technology recently held its annual ECE Day event on April 5, 2024. This day-long event showcased the department’s commitment to innovation, collaboration, and academic excellence among its students, faculty, and External Advisory Board.

Eighty students across all degree levels showcased their research, and 45 were named as finalists in first, second, or third place.

ECE Day is the culmination of various activities, including a strategic meeting with the ECE External Advisory Board, research panels, a seminar, and student research competitions.

The seminar was given by Kenneth Zdunek (Ph.D. EE ’91), senior vice president and chief technology officer at Roberson and Associates and adjunct faculty at Illinois Tech. His seminar was titled “Adventures in Wireless System Design.”

“We would like to thank Ken Zdunek for his inspiring seminar presentation,” says Walter and Harriet Filmer Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering Jafar Saniie . “Ken is an inventor and leader in the analysis, research, and design of wireless networks and systems. He holds 17 patents and was recognized as an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers fellow in 2008 for his leadership in integrated voice and data systems. In his seminar, Ken shared valuable lessons and insights from his many years of experience in the field of wireless communications.”

The event culminated in an award ceremony and reception, where the winners of the student research competition were announced. Congratulations to the following winners:

Undergraduate Best Team Design Projects—Spring 2024

First Place — Samuel Karson (CPE, M.S. CPE 4th Year),  Nathan Cook (CPE, M.A.S. ECE 5th Year), and  Oumou Toure (EE 5th Year)—“Risk Watch Fall Detection” Adviser:  Walter and Harriet Filmer Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering Jafar Saniie

Second Place — Inika Singh (CPE 4th Year),  Elthon Alvarez (EE 4th Year),  Jennifer Duarte (CPE 4th Year), and  Huy Cao (CPE, M.S. CPE 4th Year)—“SmartSlice Station” Adviser:  Walter and Harriet Filmer Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering Jafar Saniie

Third Place — Joanna Findura (CPE, M.S. CPE 5th Year),  Sariuna Iumozhapova (CYSE 5th Year), and  Yuhao Zhou (EE, M.S. EE 4th Year)—“AquaTrack Fish Tank Monitor” Adviser:  Walter and Harriet Filmer Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering Jafar Saniie

Undergraduate Best Team Design Projects—Fall 2023

First Place — Gabriel Roskowski (CPE 4th Year),  Robert John Soler (CYSE, M.A.S. CYF 4th Year), and  Alae Moudni (CPE 4th Year)—“Automated Security Patrolling Robot” Adviser:  Walter and Harriet Filmer Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering Jafar Saniie

Second Place — Lukas Klicker (EE, M.S. CPE 5th Year),  Joanna Findura (CPE, M.S. CPE 5th Year), and  Alex Maliwat (CPE, M.Eng. Artificial Intelligence for Computer Vision and Control 5th Year)—“Infant Monitoring System” Adviser:  Walter and Harriet Filmer Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering Jafar Saniie

Third Place — James Benson (EE, M.S. CPE 5th Year),  Guillaume Hansen (M.A.S. ECE),  Muhammad Rafay Danish (CPE, M.A.S. AI 5th Year), and  Khoa Truong (CPE 4th Year)—“Smart Robot Air Quality Monitor” Adviser:  Walter and Harriet Filmer Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering Jafar Saniie

Master’s Best Individual Research Projects

First Place — Pin-Chien Chen (M.S. EE 2nd Year)—“Enhanced Fake News Detection Through Dataset Integration” Adviser:  Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Yu Cheng

Second Place — Gundrapally Achyuth (M.S. EE 1st Year)—“Ultra Low Power Techniques for Object Detection on the RT-Level” Adviser:  Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Ken Choi

Third Place — Yuan Ma (M.S. EE 2nd Year)—“Detection Transformer with Efficient Multiscale Decoder” Adviser:  Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Joohee Kim

Master’s Best Team Research Projects

First Place — Spandana Korabandi (M.S. EE 1st Year),  Anirudh Pusuluri (M.A.S. Computer Engineering in Internet of Things 1st Year), and  Akshaykumar Swarnakumar (M.A.S. ECE 2nd Year)—“IoT Enabled EcoSentry Bin” Adviser:  Walter and Harriet Filmer Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering Jafar Saniie

Second Place — Iker Alcorta (M.A.S. Computer Engineering in Internet of Things 1st Year) and  Igor Bogaz (M.A.S. Computer Engineering in Internet of Things 1st Year)—“Smart Soccer Boots” Adviser:  Walter and Harriet Filmer Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering Jafar Saniie

Third Place — Timothy Seibert  (CPE, M.S. CPE 4th Year) and  Guillaume Seigle (M.A.S. BMI 2nd Year)—“Smart Sleep Tracker” Adviser:  Walter and Harriet Filmer Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering Jafar Saniie

Ph.D. Category: Networks and Communications

First Place — Ziru Chen (M.S. EE ’17, Ph.D. EE Candidate)—“Practical Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface” Adviser:  Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Lin Cai

Second Place (Tie) — Eli Hwang (Ph.D. EE Candidate)—“Uplink NOMA via Special Incidence Matrix” Adviser:  Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Guillermo Atkin

Second Place (Tie) — Oluwaseun Ajayi (Ph.D. EE Candidate)—“Self-Renewal Machine Learning Approach for Fast Wireless Network Optimization” Adviser:  Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Yu Cheng

Third Place — Yu Xiao (M.S. EE ’18, Ph.D. EE Candidate)—“Time Asynchronous NOMA for Increasing BER performance” Adviser:  Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Guillermo Atkin

Ph.D. Category: Signal and Image Processing

First Place — Jane Downer (AI/M.A.S. AI ’23, Ph.D. CS Candidate)—“Identifying Backdoored Graphs in Graph Neural Network Training: An Explanation-based Approach with Novel Metrics” Adviser:  Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Ren Wang

Second Place — Yipeng Qu (Ph.D. EE Candidate)—“Enhancing Query Formulation for Universal Image Segmentation” Adviser:  Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Joohee Kim

Third Place (Tie) — Xirang Zhang (M.S. EE ’21, Ph.D. EE Candidate)—“A Feasibility Study on Deep Learning for Standard-Dose Cardiac-Gated Spect Images” Adviser:  Harris Perlstein Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Yongyi Yang

Third Place (Tie) — Mehdi Toumi (Ph.D. EE Candidate)—“Edge Preserving Deep Learning De-Noising for Cardiac Spect” Adviser:  Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Jovan Brankov

Ph.D. Category: Power Electronics

First Place — Triston Cooper (Ph.D. EE Candidate)—“Superconducting Momentary Circuit Interrupter” Adviser:  Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Ian Brown

Second Place — Nicholas Krause (EE ’14, M.S. EE ’16, Ph.D. EE Candidate)—“Electric Machine Thermal System Identification” Adviser:  Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Ian Brown

Third Place — Mohammad Qasem (Ph.D. EE Candidate)—“Data-Integrated in Li-ion Battery Modeling for eVTOL Energy Systems” Adviser:  Carl and Paul Bodine Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Mahesh Krishnamurthy

Ph.D. Category: Digital Systems and Cybersecurity

First Place — David Arnold (EE/M.S. CPE ’19, Ph.D. CPE Candidate)—“An Enhanced Data Historian For Cyberattack Detection in Industrial Control Systems” Adviser:  Walter and Harriet Filmer Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering Jafar Saniie

Second Place (Tie) — Guanting Chen (M.S. EE ’19, Ph.D. EE Candidate)—“SAT Solver with Machine Learning and Weighted Literal Incidence Graph Representation” Adviser:  Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Jia Wang

Second Place (Tie) — Hans Johnson (M.S. EE ’21, Ph.D. EE Candidate)—“Improving Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) for Quantum Computing Readout Signals Using Adaptive Filters for FPGAs” Adviser:  Walter and Harriet Filmer Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering Jafar Saniie

Third Place — Nader Alnatsheh (EE/M.S. EE ’22, Ph.D. EE Candidate)—“Low Power Techniques for DNN Accelerator Design from Model-Level to RT-Level” Adviser:  Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Ken Choi

Image: Group photo of ECE Day attendees.

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ECE Graduate Student Association Sparks Community

• by Katherine Panaligan
• May 09, 2024

The Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Student Association , or ECE-GSA, fosters an environment of enrichment, collaboration and community at the University of California, Davis.   

“Our mission is to assist ECE graduate students in achieving a productive, enjoyable and enriching experience at UC Davis,” said Calum Shelden, the ECE-GSA president.  

To this end, the association hosts a variety of activities and programs for graduate students in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with both large-scale events and small meetings, to offer comprehensive support for ECE graduates.  

For example, the association hosts recurring events like weekly coffee socials — held Fridays in Kemper Hall Courtyard — and barbecues and game nights to provide a space for graduate students to have fun and destress from their studies.   

They also host technical events to support graduate students’ education and industry experience. These have included talks from professors within the department and informational sessions with representatives from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and companies like Texas Instruments and Analog Devices.  

In addition to year-round programs, ECE-GSA hosts two major events each academic year that enrich its community.   

The first event runs from November to January. Throughout this period, the association holds mock examinations for first- and second-year Ph.D. students to prepare for their preliminary examinations, which students must pass in the winter quarter to continue pursuing their Ph.D. program.  

ECE-GSA’s other big annual event is its Picnic Day booth, “The Art of Semiconductors,” which saw its third iteration this year.  

At the family-friendly booth, visitors can participate in art activities that demonstrate the process of semiconductor device fabrication.  

“It requires a lot of planning,” said ECE-GSA Vice President M.A. Mort, “but every year it amazes me that we are able to pull it off with all the help from our fellow officers and volunteers of graduate students in our department.”  

All that effort is worth it, both for community members and the graduate students who put it on, as Sheldon notes.  

“This event provides a platform for the general Davis community, often young, aspiring engineers and scientists, to engage with us as ECE grads and humanize us as STEM professionals.”  

The ECE-GSA’s mission to enrich the student experience and spark community within the department is always growing as they consider and develop new projects.   

“Typically, the development and implementation of a new event or program is led by one or two officers,” Shelden said. “However, I would describe the final product as a mosaic of the thoughts and ideas that all the officers contribute during our weekly officer meetings.”  

The association’s most recent project builds off the success of its mentorship program for graduate students. This one, however, pairs undergraduate students with graduate student mentors, bridging the gap between the two groups.  

The association developed this new program with the UC Davis chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers , or IEEE, and the Club of Future Female Electrical Engineers , or COFFEE, who provided insight into the needs of ECE undergraduates. According to their recommendation, ECE-GSA hosted a panel where undergraduates could ask graduates questions and preview what mentorship would be like.  

“Collaborating on this mentorship program has opened the door for collaborations on other activities with IEEE and COFFEE,” Shelden said. “I'm looking forward to seeing the connections between the organizations continue to grow.”  

Currently, the program consists of 12 undergraduates and nine graduate students whom the ECE-GSA has paired by topics of interest, such as applying for graduate school, research opportunities and navigating college as a first-generation student. Nurturing these personal connections in the ECE community through its activities is the driving force for ECE-GSA’s work.  

“The most rewarding part of being a member of the ECE-GSA is interacting with the students who come to our events and participate in our programs. I get to observe ECE-GSA achieving its goal and see that its work is valued by the community.”  

For more information on the ECE-GSA and their work, check out their webpage or Instagram @ece_gsa.  

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May 8, 2024

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Class of 2024: Yannick Pleimling named Outstanding Senior for the College of Science

• Kelly Izlar
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Name:  Yannick Pleimling

College:   Science

Major :  Physics and math

Hometown:  Blacksburg

Plans after graduation: Pursuing a Ph.D. in applied physics at Stanford University

Favorite Hokie memory:  Pleimling’s favorite Hokie memories center on connecting with students about their science, especially at events such as the  Virginia Tech Undergraduate Research Symposium.

“I find it really fulfilling and exciting to hear someone talk about their interests and passions — and it can be in any field, not just physics,” Pleimling said.

Researching ultrasmall behavior using ultrafast lasers 

While he can always find something to learn from other student researchers, Pleimling has developed an extensive research portfolio of his own throughout his undergraduate education.

In the summer of his sophomore year, he started working in the Khodaparast research group led by Professor Giti Khodaparast, a faculty member in  experimental condensed matter physics  at Virginia Tech. The Khodaparast group uses ultrafast lasers to learn more about different materials.

In one such technique, called pump-probe spectroscopy, Pleimling operated a set of lasers that pulse once every one quadrillionth of a second to investigate electron dynamics. While working closely with graduate students and materials scientists, Pleimling applied spectroscopy approaches like this on several projects, including next generation solar cells, magnetic memory, and semiconductor devices.

Through these research experiences, Pleimling established a foundation for understanding research best practices as well as how to contribute meaningfully to a research group and recognize the value of collaboration.

“Science is more interdisciplinary now than ever before, and science benefits from including as many perspectives as possible,” Pleimling said. “More expertise makes science stronger.” 

Internship spins up grad school

In 2022, Pleimling’s foundation in research helped him secure an undergraduate research fellowship from the Virginia Tech  Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science , followed by the  Goldwater Scholarship  in 2023. During the summer of that year, Pleimling interned for the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University, where he applied techniques he first learned in the Khodaparast group on a range of new materials. This experience cemented his interest in pursuing research on a graduate level. He was accepted to Stanford the following year to build on this foundation.

Campus connections through science

In the lab, the classroom, and elsewhere, Pleimling’s touchstone continues to be deepening and broadening his understanding through conversations and connections. In his senior year, Pleimling became more involved with the Virginia Tech chapter of the Society of Physics Students.

With the goal of creating more opportunities for people to share their research, Pleimling helped organize a conference at the end of March.  

They expected to have about 50 or so attendees and were surprised and delighted when almost triple that number expressed interest. As a member heavily involved in logistics and planning, the enthusiasm presented Pleimling with a whole new type of problem. 

“But I like new problems,” Pleimling said. “The experience also reminded me that community doesn't have to be just talking about your research. The strength of your connections is the strength of your science.”

And what career combines connections with science? The very one Pleimling has been pursuing since he first started college: professor of physics. 

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• Class of 2024
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