Amir Arbabi

Amir Arbabi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He leads the Photonics Laboratory, focusing on experimental and theoretical research in flat optics, photonic integrated circuits, and high-contrast transmitarray metasurfaces. His work bridges nanophotonics and practical applications in wearable electronics, biomedical sensing, and industrial equipment.

• Education:
  • PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • MSc, University of Waterloo
  • BSc, University of Tehran
  • Postdoc/Research Scientist, Caltech

Research Interests: Dr. Arbabi's group develops miniaturized optical systems with planar form factors. Their projects include visible metalenses with high focusing efficiency, dispersive metasurface systems, and vertical integration platforms for active devices like lasers and modulators. They emphasize scalable manufacturing techniques such as nanoimprint lithography and atomic layer deposition.

Recent Trends: His publications highlight advancements in metalens fabrication (2023), dispersion control via cascaded metasurfaces (2022), and scalable manufacturing of photonic components (2021–2023). Collaborative work spans materials engineering (TiO2, Si3N4), quantum photonics, and THz metasurfaces.

Scientific Awards:

• Best ECE Junior Faculty award (2021)
• K. C. Yeh Endowed Fellowship (2013)
• Nick and Katherine Holonyak, Jr. Graduate Fellowships (2011–2012)

Advising: Actively recruiting graduate students with backgrounds in electromagnetics, nanofabrication, or optoelectronics. Current advisees include Babak Mirzapourbeinekalaye, Ayyoub Dehmollaian, and Maryam Ghahremani. Former students like Mahdad Mansouree (now at Lumentum Operations LLC) and Andrew McClung (Raytheon Technologies) highlight his lab's industry impact.