Brian Willis

Brian Willis is a Professor in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Connecticut’s College of Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. from MIT (1999). His research focuses on nanoscale materials, including epitaxial oxides on semiconductors, scanning tunneling microscopy, and electrocatalysis. He leads the Willis Lab, which develops advanced fabrication techniques like atomic layer deposition (ALD) for nanoscale devices.

Education: Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, MIT, 1999. Previous positions include Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware (2002–2008) and roles at Agere Systems and Bell Labs (1999–2002).

Research Interests: Epitaxial oxide growth on semiconductors, molecular electronics, plasmonic nanostructures, and electrocatalyst durability for fuel cells. His work integrates experimental methods (e.g., STM, ALD) with theoretical models to advance nanoscale device design.

Awards: 2007 2nd place in Nanotech Measurement Contest (with student R. Gupta), 2005 NSF Career Award, and 1992 Dow Award. His advising includes Ph.D. students Han Wang and Xiaoqiang Jiang.

Professional Activities: Coordinator for AIChE Area 8E (2010), Session Chair for multiple AIChE National Meetings (2004–2008), and member of the Materials Research Society.

Labs/Teams: The Willis Lab focuses on ALD innovation, plasmonic devices, and sensor arrays. Current projects include electronic nose technology and nanoscale rectennas for energy conversion.