UTA electrical engineering professor earns society's highest honor

J.-C. Chiao, a University of Texas at Arlington electrical engineering professor, has been named a Fellow of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.

He was recognized "for achievements in micro medical devices and systems," and will be formally inducted as a Fellow Jan. 30 during the SPIE Fellows luncheon at The Moscone Center in San Francisco.

Chiao, who holds a life membership in SPIE, joined the UTA College of Engineering in 2002 and has secured nearly $5 million in research funding during his career. His work is focused on medical micro devices and microsystems, bioelectronics systems, MEMS or Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, quasi-optical wireless systems and micro-nano-optics.

He is the Janet and Mike Greene Endowed Professor and Jenkins Garrett Endowed Professor of Electrical Engineering. He has published and edited numerous peer-reviewed technical journal and conference papers, book chapters, proceedings and books. He holds 11 U.S. patents in MEMS, liquid crystal and wireless medical sensor technologies.

"It is truly an honor to be recognized by such a group of innovative scientists and engineers for my career work in micro medical devices and systems. I am proud to have my name added to the list of Fellows in this great organization," Chiao said.

Chiao joins UTA electrical engineering professors Robert Magnusson and Weidong Zhou as fellows of SPIE. Chiao has been general chair/co-chair for 16 SPIE international conferences.

"Dr. Chiao has greatly contributed to the health care field through his work with microfluidic sensors to detect cancer metastasization, gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD sensing, and electronic pain management. He has been a positive force for our department in research and teaching since his arrival," said Jonathan Bredow, professor and chair of UTA's Electrical Engineering Department. "Being named a Fellow of SPIE is a well-deserved award."

Chiao has won several prestigious awards, such as the 2012 Heroes of Healthcare Research in Medicine Award, the 2011 Tech Titans Technology Innovator Award, the 2012 IEEE Region 5 Outstanding Engineering Educator award, and the 2011 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Engineering by The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas.

To date, more than 1,000 SPIE members have been elected as Fellows. Boasting more than 18,000 members worldwide, SPIE was founded as the Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers. It is the most recognized and largest association for optics and photonics. The nonprofit organization provided $3.2 million in support of education and outreach programs in 2013, including about $396,000 in scholarships and more than $90,000 in support of photonics-related education and outreach projects.

Provided by University of Texas at Arlington