Faculty Directory

Ghodssi, Reza

Ghodssi, Reza

Herbert Rabin Distinguished Chair in Engineering
Former Director, Institute for Systems Research (2009-2017)
Executive Director of Research and Innovation
Fischell Institute Fellow
Electrical and Computer Engineering
The Institute for Systems Research
Maryland Energy Innovation Institute
Fischell Department of Bioengineering
Materials Science and Engineering
Brain and Behavior Institute
MATRIX Lab
Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices
2232 Kim Building

Reza Ghodssi is the Herbert Rabin Distinguished Chair in Engineering and Director of the MEMS Sensors and Actuators Lab (MSAL) in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and the Institute for Systems Research (ISR) at the University of Maryland (UMD). He is also affiliated with the Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BIOE), the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices (Fischell Institute), the Maryland NanoCenter, the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute (MEII), and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at UMD. Dr. Ghodssi's research interests are in the design and development of micro/nano/bio devices and systems for chemical and biological sensing, small-scale energy conversion and harvesting with a strong emphasis toward healthcare applications.

Dr. Ghodssi was director of the Institute for Systems Research (ISR) for eight years (2009-2017). During this time, he launched a number of interdisciplinary initiatives aimed at enhancing the impact of ISR research efforts on society while building a more interactive faculty, staff and student community across different disciplines in the institute. These efforts include the launch of the Maryland Robotics Center (MRC) targeted at advancing robotic systems, underlying component technologies, and applications of robotics through research and educational programs that are interdisciplinary in nature and based on a systems approach. Dr. Ghodssi is the founding co-director of the Brain and Behavior Initiative (BBI) aiming at revolutionizing the interface between engineers and neuroscientists by generating novel tools and approaches to understand complex behaviors produced by the human brain. Dr. Ghodssi’s continuous efforts in reaching out to alumni and industry colleagues resulted in a large number of industry-sponsored monthly seminar series as well as annual fellowships for graduate students and post-doctoral associates to attend conferences and an active industry-oriented mentoring ecosystem in the Systems Engineering Education program in the institute. Dr. Ghodssi served as the President-elect of the Transducer Research Foundation (TRF) from 2020 until 2022. Since June 2022, he has been serving as the new President of TRF. The TRF is a nonprofit organization in the United States whose mission is to stimulate research in science and engineering, with emphasis on technologies related to transducers, microsystems, and nanosystems, and to foster the exchange of ideas and information between academic, industrial, and government researchers.

Dr. Ghodssi's research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Army Research Office (ARO), National Science Foundation (NSF), and R.W. Deutsch Foundation. He served as a chairman of the MEMS and NEMS Technical Group at the American Vacuum Society (AVS) from 2002 to 2004. Dr. Ghodssi also served as the Technical Program Committee chair for the 2020 Solid-State Sensors, Actuators, and Microsystems Workshop (Hilton Head 2020) and the General Chair for the Hilton Head Workshop in 2022 (Hilton Head 2022). He was chair of the 9th International Workshop on Micro and Nanotechnology for Power Generation and Energy Conversion Applications (PowerMEMS 2009) and the 2012 NSF Workshop on Micro, Nano, Bio Systems. He also served as the Americas Technical Program Committee chair of IEEE SENSORS 2010, 2011 and 2012. He chaired the committee for the Denice Denton Emerging Leader ABIE Award sponsored by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI) and Microsoft from 2007 until 2016. Dr. Ghodssi was also the lead organizer and chair of the inaugural Denice Denton Emerging Leaders Workshop 2016 held in Madison, Wisconsin, focused on helping mid-career faculty (women and men) develop knowledge, skills, strategies, and critical networks.

Dr. Ghodssi is a University of Maryland Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, a Fellow of IEEE, AVS, and ASME, has over 160 journal publications and 349 refereed conference papers, and is the co-editor of the MEMS Materials and Processes Handbook published in 2011. He is an associate editor for the Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems (JMEMS) and Biomedical Microdevices (BMMD). He has obtained eight U.S. patents, with another ten pending. Dr. Ghodssi received the 2001 UMD George Corcoran Award, the 2002 National Science Foundation CAREER Award, and the 2003 UMD Outstanding Systems Engineering Faculty Award. He was among 100 of the nation's outstanding engineers invited to attend the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium in 2007 and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) EU-U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium in 2010. Dr. Ghodssi was the co-founder of the MEMS Alliance in the greater Washington area and is a member of the MRS, ASEE and AAAS societies.

Honors and awards

Fellows

•    Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) (2015)

•    American Vacuum Society (2015)

•    American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) (2015)

 Young faculty awards

•    NSF CAREER Award (2002)

University of Maryland Awards

•    Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Award, University of Maryland (2014-2015)

•    Outstanding Systems Engineering Faculty Award, Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland (2003)

•    George Corcoran Award, ECE Department, University of Maryland (2001)

 

Design and development of microfabrication technologies and processes in micro/nano/bio devices and systems for chemical and biological sensing, small- scale energy conversion and harvesting with a strong emphasis toward healthcare applications.


New ‘FRRB’ packaging technology may solve an ingestible capsule challenge

The innovation, which protects fragile components, has been published in the Nature journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering.

MSAL’s work on serotonin characterization and detection results in two journal covers

Research is leading to better detection models and portable sensing devices.

Ghodssi named to new Clark School research and innovation position

He will lead Clark School research, partnership and outreach activities in Southern Maryland.

Frequent research collaborator Deanna Kelly named 'MPower Professor'

UMSOM Psychiatry professor has worked on mental health-related projects with Espy-Wilson, Ghodssi, Payne, among others.

Student Researchers Recognized with Wylie Dissertation Fellowships

Fourteen Clark School students pursuing their Ph.D.s in engineering have been awarded Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowships by the University of Maryland Graduate School.

Symptoms all in your head—or in your gut? Maybe a little of both.

UMD researchers are building an ingestible capsule that can monitor and model gut microbiome serotonin activity and help demystify the “gut-brain axis.”

Ashley Chapin advances as international finalist in Three-Minute Thesis Competition

Chapin is representing UMD with her video, "Demystifying the Gut-Brain Axis."

Engineering Graduate Students Win UMD 3MT Competition

Three Clark School graduate students were among the university's 2020 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) winners.

Ingestible device research advances, enters new phase

New NSF funding, Lab on a Chip paper for Ghodssi group developing minimally invasive medical devices.

Behtash Babadi promoted to associate professor

Babadi has broad research interests in statistical and adaptive signal processing, neural signal processing, and systems neuroscience.

Ashley Chapin a campus-wide winner of the Three-Minute Thesis Competition

Chapin’s video, “Demystifying The Gut-Brain-Axis,” reflects her dissertation work.

Clark School faculty 'AIM-HI' to address major health challenges

The new UMB-UMCP program has announced its first grants for projects combining AI and medicine.

Spurring research group creativity in the time of COVID-19

Student-faculty teams that write review articles for journals reap multiple benefits.

Institute Hosts AMBIC December Conference, Unveils New Research

AMBIC Industry Board members and other researchers convened to discuss new and ongoing projects.

Brain and Behavior Initiative Hosts 3rd Annual Seed Grant Symposium

Researchers from across UMD convene to discuss the latest projects funded by BBI

Chapin, Bowen win in Bioscience Day poster session

The ISR Ph.D. students won in the bioengineering and neuroscience and cognitive science categories.

NSF Awards $1M Grant to UMD Researchers

The interdisciplinary project will explore the molecular connection between the gut and the nervous system.

Ghodssi Receives Senior Faculty Outstanding Research Award

The award recognizes exceptionally influential research accomplishments by Clark School faculty.

Ghodssi gives distinguished lecture on devices for gastrointestinal health at EPFL in Switzerland

Trip also included visits to the Wyss Center and Imperial College London.

Brain and Behavior Initiative (BBI) hosts Second Annual Seed Grant Symposium

The University’s Brain and Behavior Initiative (BBI) hosted its Second Annual Seed Grant Symposium on November 14, 2018 at Adele’s in the Stamp Student Union.

BBI FY18 Seed Grant Winners Announced

Seven projects selected for funding.

Kavli Foundation to sponsor the BBI-Kavli Distinguished Speaker Series

Brain and Behavior Initiative receives generous donation from Kavli Foundation to sponsor new speaker series.

Ghodssi, Bentley receive NSF EAGER grant to develop ingestible capsules for medical diagnosis

"Gut-Nav" capsules will be designed to detect problems in the gastro-intestinal tract, including pancreatic cancer and inflammatory bowel disease screening.

Brain and Behavior Initiative partners with Arena Stage

Free night out for students to see the play Smart People, courtesy of BBI and the UMD Division of Research.

UMD Researchers Make Strides in Schizophrenia Diagnosis Research

Blood test could help doctors more quickly diagnose schizophrenia and other disorders.

Thomas Winkler wins dean's doctoral research award

Dean Darryll Pines created the award to honor student researchers.

Grad students Winkler, Subramanian rank highly in U21 3MT video contest

Competition requires students to explain their research to a non-specialist audience in three minutes or less.

Hadar Ben-Yoav accepts tenure-track position at Ben-Gurion University

Former ISR postdoc will join the Dept. of Biomedical Engineering.

Reza Ghodssi named AVS Fellow

Citation reads: "For outstanding leadership in microsystems technology achieved by combining knowledge of materials and processing, innovative device concepts, and diverse applications."

Ghodssi, Bentley patent compounds that give new way to kill drug-resistant bacteria

Compounds stop microbes from forming protective biofilms, and may resurrect effectiveness of older antibiotics.

  • Fellow, 2015

  • Fellow, 2015

  • Fellow, 2015