Collaborative paper with Universidade Federal de Uberlândia
“Sn-driven ferroelectric–antiferroelectric crossover in Ba-modified PLZT ceramics: structural evolution and functional response,” led by Dr. J. D. S. Guerra, is to appear in Materials Chemistry and Physics 370 (15 December 2026).
doi:10.1016/j.matchemphys.2026.133112
25 August 2026
Trippy gives invited talk at SPIE Optics + Photonics
Matt Trippy delivered an invited talk, “Modeling approaches to support discovery of quantum properties of materials with validation by graphene studies,” at the SPIE Optics + Photonics Annual Meeting and Exhibition in San Diego, in the conference 2D Materials: Growth, Integration, and Interfaces.
16 August 2026
MeMDRL at the Texas Quantum Summit
Ayush Neupane and Matt Trippy, with Dr. Ruyan Guo, presented a poster on research capabilities and quantum-computing and quantum-sensing applications at the Texas Quantum Summit (13–14 August 2026), hosted by The University of Texas at Dallas.
July 2026
Group celebration of academic and career milestones
MeMDRL gathered with colleagues and families in July 2026 to mark recent degrees, fellowships, and next steps.
6 May 2026
Guo on ACerS Ceramic Tech Chat
Dr. Ruyan Guo sat down with Lisa McDonald to discuss interdisciplinary research experience in conjunction with The American Ceramic Society. The episode is Cross-collaborations for multifunctional electronics.
5 May 2026
Tapia receives ECE Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award
Congratulations to Jacklyn Aponte Tapia on the Department of Electrical Engineering Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award.
28 April 2026
Research Excellence Award, The University of Texas at San Antonio (2026)
Dr. Ruyan Guo received the university’s Research Excellence Award (tenured faculty) at the 2026 University Excellence Awards ceremony on 28 April 2026.
3 April 2026
Miyahara presents EE research seminar on quantum-dot readout
MeMDRL hosted Dr. Yoichi Miyahara, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and in the Materials Science, Engineering and Commercialization program at Texas State University. He presented an invited EE research seminar, “Quantum state readout of individual quantum dots enabled by coupling to a mechanical resonator with high quality factor.”
11 February 2026
Inaugural EMRG Ph.D. Fellowship awarded to Paul Flynn
Congratulations to William Paul Flynn, Electrical Engineering, recipient of the inaugural Ruyan Guo and Amar Bhalla Endowed Materials Research Graduate (EMRG) Ph.D. Fellowship for 2025–2026. His dissertation work is on materials jetting fabrication and modeling of printed multiferroic CFO–BTO composites for electronic applications.
The Department of Electrical Engineering also recognized Luis Perdomo Hurtado, Mechanical Engineering, as an EMRG Ph.D. Fellow for work on nickel-based superalloys in hydrogen-rich environments. The fellowship recognizes excellence in interdisciplinary materials science and engineering.
January 2026
Bhalla named a Highly Ranked Scholar — Lifetime
Dr. Amar Bhalla is recognized as a Highly Ranked Scholar — Lifetime (2025 by ScholarGPS). Lifetime Highly Ranked Scholars are eminent authors whose top-percentage ranks place them in the top 0.05% of all scholars due to their lifetime scholarly contributions in four categories: Overall (All Fields); their specific Field; their specific Discipline; and all Specialties with which they are associated. ScholarGPS lists his Field as Engineering and his Discipline as Materials Science and Engineering, with 850 total publications, 26,782 predicted citations, and an overall (all fields) predicted h-index of 75.
23 January 2026
Saxena visits UTSA Physics and MeMDRL
Dr. Avadh Saxena, Scientist in Physics of Condensed Matter and Complex Systems at Los Alamos National Laboratory, visited the UTSA Department of Physics and Astronomy and the MeMDRL group. He presented an invited Physics seminar, “Hopfions in condensed matter and field theory.”
12 December 2025
Fears receives ECE Outstanding Graduate Research Award (M.S.)
Congratulations to Devon Fears on the Department of Electrical Engineering Outstanding Graduate Research Award in the M.S. category.
24 October 2025
Alumni seminar: Bomthapalli on automotive SoC functional safety
MeMDRL alumnus Sandeep Kumar Bomthapalli, Senior Staff Functional Safety Architect at Synopsys, returned to UTSA and gave an invited talk, “Functional safety and reliability in automotive SoC design — bridging materials, integration, and system-level challenges.”
15 June 2025
Third annual Summer High School Engineering Workshop
MeMDRL ran another weeklong Summer High School Engineering Workshop — the third year in a row. More than 100 high school students took part. Participants signed a photo/media release before joining. Support from the Department of Energy (DOE NNSA MSIPP) and the Department of the Navy (DoN HBCU/MI program) is gratefully acknowledged.
9 June 2025
Flynn receives the 2025 Mo and Jila Jamshidi Fellowship
Congratulations to Paul Flynn on the 2025 Mo and Jila Jamshidi Fellowship, a distinction for exemplary research and contribution by a doctoral student.
9 June 2025
Santillan named Spring 2025 ECE Outstanding Graduate Researcher (M.S.)
Congratulations to Luis Santillan on the Spring 2025 ECE Outstanding Graduate Research Award in the M.S. category, a further milestone in his graduate research.
May 2025
Santillan selected for NSF GRFP
Congratulations to Luis Santillan for being selected for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) in 2025. His GRFP proposal is on new-generation nitride ferroelectrics for low-power in-memory computing. While NSF was unable to fund all selected applicants due to national budget reductions, Santillán’s recognition among the nation’s top young researchers highlights his potential as a burgeoning scholar.
November 2024
Abajuo receives ECE Outstanding Graduate Research Award (M.S.)
Congratulations to Trust Abajuo for being honored as the recipient of the ECE Outstanding Graduate Research Award — M.S., Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UTSA.
October 2024
Guo named to the ACerS Board of Directors
Dr. Ruyan Guo has been named to the Board of Directors of The American Ceramic Society (ACerS) for the term 2024–2027. As a member of the Board, Dr. Guo will help guide ACerS’s strategic direction, governance, and programs, continuing her long-standing commitment to advancing ceramics and related materials science.
May 2024
Sean Garnsey receives the 2024 Mo and Jila Jamshidi Fellowship
Congratulations to Sean Garnsey on the 2024 Mo and Jila Jamshidi Fellowship, a distinction for exemplary research and contribution by a doctoral student.
2024
Guo named to UTSA Academy of Distinguished Researchers
Dr. Ruyan Guo was elected to the UT San Antonio Academy of Distinguished Researchers. Other recent honors include the 2023 ACerS John Jeppson Award and the 2023 Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award from the UTSA Graduate School.
2023–2025
Group papers on printed films, stacked harvesters, and magnetoelectric nanocomposites
Students and alumni published recent work in Journal of Composites Science and Electronics on inkjet-printed gold films, 1-3 piezoelectric harvesters, and strain-mediated magnetoelectric coupling. See Publications.
1 September 2023
Guo speaks at ONR Naval Opportunity Awareness Workshop
Dr. Ruyan Guo spoke at the ONR Naval Opportunity Awareness Workshop (OAW) on a DoN HBCU/MI PI panel, sharing experience working with the Department of the Navy HBCU/MI program.
May 2023
Dipon receives ECE Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
Congratulations to Wasim Dipon for being honored as the recipient of the ECE Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UTSA.
April 2023
DoN HBCU/MI post-award site visit at UTSA
The Department of the Navy HBCU/MI / ONR site-visit team — Mr. Maurice Civers-Davis, Dr. Cyntrica Eaton, and Mr. Layvon Washington — visited UTSA. Thank you for your guidance and support.
March 2023
Duong receives ECE Outstanding Graduate Research Award (M.S.)
Congratulations to Melinda Duong for being honored as the recipient of the ECE Outstanding Graduate Research Award — M.S., Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UTSA.
May 2022
Houssein receives ECE Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
Congratulations to Shadeeb Houssein for being honored as the recipient of the ECE Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UTSA.
December 2020
Acosta receives ECE Outstanding Graduate Research Award (Ph.D.)
Congratulations to Carlos Acosta for being honored as the recipient of the ECE Outstanding Graduate Research Award — Ph.D., Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UTSA.
Archive
September 2021
UTSA joins DOE NNSA MSIPP manufacturing consortium
MeMDRL is pleased to announce that UTSA is a partner in a new U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Minority Serving Institution Partnership Program (MSIPP) consortium led by The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, with the University of Arizona, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The consortium strengthens research, education, and workforce development in advanced manufacturing and national security. UTSA co-PIs are Dr. Frank Chen, Dr. Ruyan Guo, and Dr. Brendy Rincon Troconis. MeMDRL students contribute to additive manufacturing of piezoelectric materials and have access to internship opportunities at the national laboratories.
May 2020
Garnsey named Smart Energy Scholar
Sean Garnsey was awarded the San Antonio Area Foundation | CPS Energy / Itron, Inc. Smart Energy Scholar recognition.
December 2019
Yanes receives ECE Outstanding Graduate Research Award (M.S.)
Congratulations to David Yanes for being honored as the recipient of the ECE Outstanding Graduate Research Award — M.S., Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UTSA.
March 2019
Guo appointed NSF ECCS Program Director
Dr. Ruyan Guo was selected by the National Science Foundation to serve as Program Director (rotator) in the Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) Division, beginning March 2019. The appointment reflects her record in electronic and photonic materials and devices.
31 Dec 2018 · Press
Nanorobot research listed No. 1 in UTSA’s 2018 Year in Review
Soutik Betal’s doctoral work with Guo and Bhalla produced magnetically controlled nanorobots later recognized by Guinness World Records as the smallest medical robot.
10 August 2018
Bhalla named ACerS Distinguished Life Member
Congratulations to Dr. Amar Bhalla, recognized in the ACerS 2018 class of Distinguished Life Members. The Distinguished Life Member Award is the highest honor accorded by The American Ceramic Society and recognizes eminent contribution to the ceramic and glass profession.
21 Aug 2018
Alumna Moumita Dutta receives Intel Divisional Award
Dr. Dutta (Ph.D. EE, Dec. 2017) was recognized in her first year at Intel.
6 Sep 2018 · Press
MeMDRL–LANL terahertz work highlighted by DOE
“Magnetoelastoelectric coupling in core-shell nanoparticles…” Nanoscale 9, 13052 (2017), selected by the DOE Science News Source.
September 2018
Dipon awarded Presidential Dissertation Fellowship
Congratulations to Wasim Dipon for being awarded the Presidential Dissertation Fellowship (2018–2022).
June 2018
UTSA researchers set Guinness World Record for smallest medical robot
MeMDRL set a Guinness World Record for the world’s smallest medical robot. The 120 nm core-shell multiferroic nanocomposite can interact with biological cells and perform cell targeting, membrane permeation, cellular patterning, and controlled transport. Functionality was demonstrated by Dr. Soutik Betal during his doctoral research with Dr. Ruyan Guo and Dr. Amar S. Bhalla. Guinness World Records certified the result as Officially Amazing. Read the research article in Scientific Reports: doi:10.1038/s41598-018-20191-w.
May 2018
Senior design team wins first prize at College of Engineering Tech Symposium
Congratulations to Ahmed Mummin and his senior design team for winning first prize for Senior Design Project Demonstration, “Malaria Diagnosis Using Magneto Optic Techniques,” College of Engineering Tech Symposium.
May 2018
Dutta receives ECE Outstanding Graduate Research Award (Ph.D.)
Congratulations to Moumita Dutta for being honored as the recipient of the ECE Outstanding Graduate Research Award — Ph.D., Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UTSA.
March 2018
Djikeng places in UTSA Honors Experiential Showcase
Congratulations to Albert Djikeng for winning 2nd place in the UTSA Honors Experiential Showcase — Skill Development category, Honors College, UTSA.
December 2017
MeMDRL celebrates ten years at UTSA
MeMDRL — where materials research and education resonate — marked ten years at UTSA (established August 2007). By that anniversary the laboratory had published 222 journal papers and 58 conference papers, edited 14 books and proceedings, and filed 7 patents or disclosures. More than 80 graduate and undergraduate researchers had completed work in the group, including 7 Ph.D. dissertations and 30 M.S. and honors theses. The group had co-organized 10 SPIE, 10 MS&T, and 5 NSF INAMM conferences, hosted 35+ international visiting researchers, and organized IMF-14 in San Antonio.
4–8 September 2017
UTSA hosts the 14th International Meeting on Ferroelectricity
UTSA hosted the Fourteenth International Meeting on Ferroelectricity (IMF-14), 4–8 September 2017, at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio. Dr. Amar Bhalla served as General Co-Chair and Dr. Ruyan Guo as Local Chair. MeMDRL group members volunteered in meeting support and presented research findings.
September 2017
Gamboa awarded Presidential Dissertation Fellowship
Congratulations to Bryan Gamboa for being awarded the Presidential Dissertation Fellowship (2016–2020).
July 2017
DoD DURIP supports hybrid 3D digital deposition
MeMDRL expanded advanced manufacturing capabilities through new equipment made possible by a DoD DURIP grant (Dr. Guo, lead PI). Acquisition and installation of a Ceraprint F-Serie hybrid 3D digital deposition system was underway. The investment strengthened research in functional materials and additive manufacturing and created hands-on training for undergraduate and graduate students in advanced manufacturing and defense-relevant technologies.
1 May 2017
NSF I-Corps award for low-power chip module
Guo, Shuza Binzaid, and students received I-Corps support to examine commercial paths for a near-threshold voltage-regulator chip.
December 2016
Pal receives ECE Outstanding Graduate Research Award (Ph.D.)
Congratulations to Madhu Pal for being honored as the recipient of the ECE Outstanding Graduate Research Award — Ph.D., Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UTSA.
December 2016
Jointer receives Outstanding ECE Woman Engineer Graduate Award
Congratulations to Shamariah Jointer for being the first recipient of the ECE Professional Woman Faculty Award: Outstanding ECE Woman Engineer Graduate Award.
September 2016
Betal awarded Presidential Dissertation Fellowship
Congratulations to Soutik Betal for being awarded the Presidential Dissertation Fellowship (2016).
September 2016
Dutta awarded Presidential Dissertation Fellowship
Congratulations to Moumita Dutta for being awarded the Presidential Dissertation Fellowship (2015 and 2016).
October 2015
Nall and Pole named 2015 ASCE Innovation Contest awardees
George Nall and Mayur Pole are the awardees of the 2015 ASCE Innovation Contest. Congratulations!
September 2015
Pal awarded Presidential Dissertation Fellowship
Congratulations to Madhu Pal for being awarded the Presidential Dissertation Fellowship (2014 and 2015).
April 2016
Group members signal MeMDRL
Laboratory members posing the letters of the group name — a snapshot of the community in April 2016.
6 September 2007
MeMDRL established at UTSA
The Multifunctional Electronic Materials and Devices Research Laboratory was established at The University of Texas at San Antonio.
MeMDRL Research Achievement made No. 1 for UTSA’s 2018 Year in Review
Date Posted: Dec. 31, 2018
Join us as we look back at the top ten news stories of 2018, and experience our biggest accomplishments once again. These stories set a rapid pace of accomplishments going into 2019 and our 50th Anniversary celebration. Here’s number one. UTSA enters Guinness World Records with smallest medical robot – The series of nanorobots was created by Soutik Betal during his doctoral research in Electrical Engineering under the guidance of professors Ruyan Guo and Amar S. Bhalla in the UTSA Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and they could one day lead to huge medical advancements.
Dr. Amar Bhalla recognized by ACerS 2018 Distinguished Life Member Award
Date Posted: 10/20/2018
At American Ceramic Society’s 2018 Annual Meeting, Dr. Amar Bhalla was presented the American Ceramic Society 2018 Distinguished Life Member Award.
“The Distinguished Life Member Award is the highest honor accorded to members of the scientific and technical organization and recognizes the eminent contribution to the ceramic and glass profession.”
A life Member Award is indeed befitting to Dr. Bhalla as he continues on his lifelong and ongoing journey devoting his energy and wisdom in electronic materials research and education. We are all extremely proud to have him to shape our careers and to champion our effort! Congratulations Dr. Bhalla!
UTSA Researchers Set Guinness World Record of “Smallest Medical Robot”
Date Posted: 09/07/2018
UTSA Researchers Set Guinness World Record of “Smallest Medical Robot” (Aug. 2018)
The smallest medical robot measuring a maximum length of 120 nm was demonstrated on November 10th, 2016, by a team of electrical and materials engineering researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States. The movement and the functions of this series of incredibly small robots are remotely controlled by magnetic field. These nanorobots have the capabilities to generate on-demand and highly localized electrical pulses that propel their movements. They can interact with biological cells and perform functionalities such as cell targeting, permeation, patterning and transport in bio-cellular environment. This series of nanorobots was created by Soutik Betal (PhD, now at Alfred University) during his doctoral research in Electrical Engineering under the guidance of Professors Ruyan Guo and Amar Bhalla, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and to be used to advance the research in, for example, cell-based therapy that treats cancers or Alzheimer’s diseases. This work is supported in part by NSF (Grant #1002380), The Department of Defense (Grant # W911NF-12-1-0082), and by the Office of the VP for Research, UTSA. The researchers also attribute the advancement in this research to collaborations with faculty and students in ECE (M. Dutta), BME (A.K. Saha; AK Ramasubramanian, B. Shrestha, L. Tang) and Physics (E. Ortega, E. Khachatryan, K. Nash) of UTSA as well as Physics (L.F. Cotica) of State U. Maringa, Brazil.
Research article: Scientific Reports, volume 8, Article number: 1755 (2018) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-20191-w
MeMDRL Alumni Dr. Moumita Dutta Receives INTEL Divisional Award
Date Posted: 08/21/2018
MeMDRL Alumni Dr. Moumita Dutta (PhD EE Dec. 2017) received INTEL Divisional Award for Outstanding Contribution in Intel’s latest device development. This is a rare honor bestowed upon Dr. Dutta in her first year joined INTEL. Congratulations!
MeMDRL and LANL Collaborative Research Highlighted by DOE Office of Science
Date Posted: 09/06/2018
MeMDRL and Los Alamos National Lab’s innovative research work (Nanoscale 9, 13052 (2017). [DOI: 10.1039/c7nr03504g]) has been selected and highlighted by Department of Energy, the DOE Science News Source under the headline of “Tuning Terahertz Beams with Nanoparticles.”
The research work entitled “Magnetoelastoelectric coupling in core-shell nanoparticles enabling directional and mode-selective magnetic control of THz beam propagation,” was published in Nanoscale, vol. 9, pp. 13052-13059, 2017. The research was conducted by M. Dutta, K. Natarajan, S. Betal, R. P. Prasankumar, A. S. Bhalla, and R. Guo.
Scientists uncover a way to control terahertz radiation using tiny engineered particles in a magnetic field, potentially opening the doors for better medical and environmental sensors. This study shows the potential for engineered nanoparticles to magnetically control terahertz beams. Controlling the amplitude and phase of the beams at the nanoscale offers a range of possibilities. For example, the nanoparticles could enable tiny, high frequency transistors. The particles could also help create wireless networks that let nanorobots work together.
Drs. Guo and Binzaid Developing New Chip at UTSA that extends battery life of electronics
Data Posted: 05/01/2017
MeMDRL under Dr. Ruyan Guo has received a I-Corps grant from the National Science Foundation to commercialize a chip that can make lower power electronics, like cell phones, work more efficiently. Guo’s team developed the technology, which is about the size of a pin’s head, with UTSA researcher Shuza Binzaid in the UTSA Multifunctional Electronic Materials and Devices Research Laboratory alongside graduate student Avadhood Herlekar.