Ashwin Iyer

Biography

Biography: Ashwin K. Iyer received the BASc., MASc., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 2001, 2003, and 2009 respectively. He joined the faculty of the University of Alberta Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering as an Assistant Professor in the fall of 2009. While with the University of Toronto, he was involved with the development and characterization of engineered electromagnetic materials, also known as metamaterials, that exhibit a negative refractive index. He has co-authored a number of journal and conference papers and has given over twenty invited talks, workshops, and seminars on the subject of his research. Dr. Iyer has received several awards and recognitions for his papers, including the 2008 R.W.P. King Award, presented by the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society to an author less than 36 years of age for the best paper published in the IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation during the previous year. He has also received several awards for his graduate work, including the Canada Graduate Scholarship presented by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada.

Research Interest

Research Interests: RF/microwave circuits and transmission-line techniques Fundamental electromagnetic theory Novel concepts in antenna theory and design Engineered composite/periodic structures and surfaces Effective-medium/homogenization theories and techniques Metamaterials and their applications to imaging, microwave and optical devices, and biomedicine Current Research: My research program seeks to develop new directions in classical areas of electromagnetics and RF/microwave engineering, but is centered around the study of ‘metamaterial’ technologies. Metamaterials are artificial materials designed to possess exotic electromagnetic properties not available in nature, such as a negative refractive index. Their unusual properties can be leveraged to improve the performance of several devices and, sometimes, yield entirely new phenomena. My research group is engaged in the design of planar and three-dimensional metamaterial structures able to control electromagnetic fields and radiation patterns, and our ultimate goal is to carry metamaterial technologies from proof-of-principle efforts to the realization of practical devices and components for biomedical, defense, and communications applications.