Azita Emami

Azita Emami serves as the Andrew and Peggy Cherng Professor of Electrical Engineering and Medical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where she concurrently holds leadership roles as Executive Officer for Electrical Engineering and Director of the Center for Sensing to Intelligence. Appointed to Caltech's faculty in 2007, she progressed from Assistant Professor to her current endowed professorship through demonstrated scholarly excellence.

Her academic foundation includes:

• B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology (1996)
• M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University (1999)
• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University (2004)

Professor Emami pioneers mixed-mode integrated circuit systems that bridge theoretical innovation with practical applications. Her research emphasizes ultra-low power consumption and high reliability in scalable semiconductor technologies, targeting transformative solutions across multiple domains. Key thrusts include:

• Biomedical implantables for neural recording/stimulation and gastrointestinal monitoring
• Photonics-electronics co-design for energy-efficient optical interconnects
• Machine learning-enhanced signal processing for brain-computer interfaces
• Miniaturized magnetic sensors with unprecedented noise performance

Her work consistently demonstrates how circuit-level innovations enable breakthrough capabilities in medical diagnostics and high-speed computing.

Analysis of her 2021-2024 publications reveals a strategic convergence of biomedical sensing and intelligent signal processing. While maintaining strong contributions to optical interconnects (accounting for ~40% of recent output), her lab increasingly focuses on closed-loop medical systems where low-power analog neural networks interpret physiological signals. This evolution reflects growing NIH and industry interest in implantable/wearable health technologies, with her group leading in CMOS-based sensor miniaturization and energy efficiency.

Her professional recognition includes:

• IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society Distinguished Lecturer appointment

Mentorship excellence is evidenced by students receiving prestigious awards including the Jakob van Zyl Predoctoral Research Award (Saransh Sharma, Ryoto Sekine) and Charles Wilts Prize (Kuan-Chang Chen). Her research program leverages strategic partnerships with Heritage Medical Research Institute and industry collaborators, supported through center-based funding like the Center for Sensing to Intelligence. Administrative leadership spans departmental governance (as Executive Officer) and conference organization (ISSCC technical committees).

She directs Caltech's Mixed-mode Integrated Circuits and Systems Lab (MICS), which operates as a nexus for cross-disciplinary innovation between electrical engineering and medical applications. The lab's industry-collaborative framework accelerates translation of circuit concepts into real-world biomedical solutions through the Center for Sensing to Intelligence.