Kris Pister, professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences and a co-director of the Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center, has been named the new faculty director of the UC Berkeley Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory (NanoLab) at CITRIS. The appointment, which became effective Jan. 1, brings in a veteran user known for his advances in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) to head the cutting-edge facility.
Pister, who earned his master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer sciences from UC Berkeley in 1989 and 1992, recalls the many hours spent in the Berkeley Microfabrication Lab, the predecessor to the NanoLab. During that time, he was developing MEMS structures with integrated complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors (CMOS) for his dissertation.
In 2009, the new NanoLab opened in Sutardja Dai Hall, headquarters of CITRIS and the Banatao Institute.
“With the NanoLab, students have access to the greatest research clean room in the world,” said Pister. “The dedication and enthusiasm of the staff and the collaborative team spirit of the students are what make the magic happen. I look forward to executing my responsibilities as steward of this crown jewel of the College of Engineering and the Berkeley campus.”
Pister succeeds the NanoLab’s previous faculty director, Connie Chang-Hasnain, John R. Whinnery Distinguished Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. Chang-Hasnain stepped down as faculty director on Dec. 31, 2019, due to her other extensive responsibilities.
During her tenure as faculty director, Chang-Hasnain helped strengthen the NanoLab’s ties with industry.
“I’m stepping down with the knowledge that the NanoLab and its industrial and international partnerships are secure, stable and stronger than ever,” said Chang-Hasnain.
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The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) and the Banatao Institute drive interdisciplinary innovation for social good with faculty researchers and students from four University of California campuses – Berkeley, Davis, Merced, and Santa Cruz – along with public and private partners.
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