We explore new electronic applications to augment the quality of life. To do so, we are redesigning the state-of-the-art electronics to redefine their purpose to reconfigure life. By performing heterogeneous integration of traditional thin film and emerging materials, advanced CMOS technology and low-cost additive manufacturing processes, we explore, develop, study and optimize physically flexible, stretchable and reconfigurable high performance, multi-functional, energy efficient interactive miniaturized CMOS based electronic systems. Three specific kind of electronics we are interested in:

• Biologically Aggravated Smart Electronics (BASE): Using CMOS technology, we are addressing basic human needs including clean air, quality food and water, and energy. Recently we have shown compliant sensory system for aqua environment and marine species; compliant transient sensory system for large area plant monitoring; CMOS technology enabled and 3D printed microbial fuel cells with enhanced performance for water purification and power generation; sustainable energy harvesters and bio safe energy storage.
  
• Accessible Personalized Advanced CMOS Healthcare Electronics (APACHE): We are exploring wide range of affordable wearable and implantable CMOS electronic technologies which are multi-functional, low-power, seamlessly communicable, reliable, and physically compliant for more intimate contact with asymmetric soft surfaces of skins of many biological living beings.
  
• Compliant Ocular Responsive Electronics (CORE): Here we explore integration strategies to interface with brain to enhance our understanding of brain activities and then to use the learning for developing compliant responsive electronics to enable enhanced artificial intelligence.
  

In my talk, I will be sharing my vision about future of electronics using some technologies which have been translated based on our lab’s work.

Speaker bio

Dr. Muhammad Mustafa Hussain (PhD, ECE, UT Austin, Dec 2005), before joining KAUST was Program Manager in SEMATECH, Austin. His program was funded by DARPA NEMS, CERA and STEEP programs. A regular panelist of US NSF grants reviewing committees, Dr. Hussain is the Fellow of American Physical Society (APS), Institute of Physics, UK and Institute of Nanotechnology, UK, IEEE Electron Devices Society Distinguished Lecturer, Editor-in-Chief of Applied Nanoscience (Springer-Nature), Editor of IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, and an IEEE Senior Member. He has authored 250+ research papers, 50+ issued and pending US patents. His students are serving as faculty and researchers in MIT Media Lab, UC Berkeley, Harvard, UCLA, Yale, Purdue, TSMC, KACST, KFUPM, KAU, and DOW Chemicals. Scientific American has listed his research as one of the Top 10 World Changing Ideas of 2014. Applied Physics Letters selected his paper as one of the Top Feature Articles of 2015. He and his students have received 40 research awards including IEEE Outstanding Individual Achievement Award 2016, Outstanding Young Texas Exes Award 2015 DOW Chemical Sustainability Challenge Award 2012, etc. His research has been highlighted extensively in international media like in Washington Post, Wall Street Journal (WSJ), IEEE Spectrum, etc.