The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and the Banatao Institute (CITRIS) is pleased to announce the recipients of the inaugural Costas John Spanos Semiconductor Manufacturing Awards, which recognize exceptional graduate student researchers selected from the four CITRIS campuses at the University of California who are advancing the future of semiconductor devices, technology, design and manufacturing.
Established in honor of Costas John Spanos, CITRIS Director Emeritus and Andrew S. Grove Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley, the Spanos Awards encourage student-led research that addresses some of the most pressing challenges facing the semiconductor industry today. As global demand accelerates — driven by rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing and advanced manufacturing — these awardees represent the next generation of innovators strengthening the resilience, competitiveness and impact of the semiconductor ecosystem.
“Semiconductor innovation sits at the foundation of nearly every major technological advance shaping our world today — from AI and advanced manufacturing to energy systems and national security,” said Alexandre Bayen, director of CITRIS and the Banatao Institute, Liao-Cho Innovation Endowed Chair and Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences and of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley. “Through the Spanos Awards, we are investing not only in breakthrough research, but in the extraordinary graduate students whose ingenuity and rigor will define the future of resilient, globally competitive semiconductor manufacturing.”
Supported by a $1 million philanthropic endowment, the Spanos Awards invest directly in graduate researchers whose work is shaping breakthroughs in computing and manufacturing at a moment of unprecedented opportunity and urgency.
“Graduate students are often the engines of discovery in semiconductor research,” said Spanos, who retired in 2024 after more than 35 years of service to the University of California community. “This award reflects our confidence in their ability to tackle complex manufacturing challenges, strengthen the semiconductor workforce and carry forward a tradition of innovation that has long defined the University of California.”
The 2025 award recipients and their projects are:
Eren Dogan
Ph.D. Candidate in Computer Science and Engineering, UC Santa Cruz
Advisor: Mathew Guthaus
Eren Dogan’s research combines the rigor of classical circuit design with modern machine learning to develop new approaches that replace serial, trial-and-error problem solving with parallel, data-driven models. One of his key contributions is GAT-Steiner, an original method that enables complex routing decisions to be made simultaneously rather than step by step, dramatically accelerating design while preserving accuracy. Dogan is also an active contributor to OpenROAD, an open-source effort to provide a fully automated, end-to-end digital integrated circuit design flow to help democratize system and product innovation in silicon. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Ozyegin University, where he was valedictorian of his class.
Collin Finnan
Ph.D. Candidate in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, UC Berkeley
Advisor: Tsu-Jae King Liu
Collin Finnan is developing energy-efficient semiconductor devices to meet the unprecedented demand for computing resources driven by the rapid rise of AI. His NEMS-GC architecture, which integrates nanoelectromechanical (NEM) switches into a type of embedded memory known as a gain cell (GC), addresses the dominant bottleneck in modern computing systems, a challenge in data movement called the “memory wall.” NEMS-GC promises superior performance — up to a threefold improvement in embedded memory density — across a wide range of operating temperatures while eliminating standby power consumption. Finnan received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 2023 from the University of Notre Dame, where he studied novel nanoantenna infrared detectors.
Inha Kim
Ph.D. Candidate in Applied Science and Technology, UC Berkeley
Advisor: Ali Javey
Inha Kim seeks to break through the “silicon ceiling” that limits transistor scaling and power consumption by transforming transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) — two-dimensional (2D) materials with great potential to push the boundaries of semiconductor device performance — from experimental novelties to viable industrial materials. His research focuses on back-end-of-line (BEOL) compatible thermal budgets, with an aim to develop manufacturing-ready solutions that integrate 2D semiconductors directly onto complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) metal interconnect layers. Beyond his own research, Kim maintains critical infrastructure in the UC Berkeley Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory at CITRIS, enabling a vital capability for the broader research community. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics at Seoul National University in South Korea.
Pranta Saha
Ph.D. Candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering, UC Davis
Advisor: Marina Radulaski
Pranta Saha is working to advance scalable quantum technologies in semiconductor platforms, particularly silicon carbide (SiC). He designs novel nanophotonic structures integrated with solid-state single-photon sources, or color centers, and realizes them at scale by leveraging cutting-edge nanofabrication processes. Saha is also passionate about engineering education; he co-designed UC Davis’s first quantum computing course and has helped expand laboratory modules in quantum sensing at multiple universities. He is affiliated with the Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he has developed and refined etching recipes and process workflows, and he holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.