F. Levent Degertekin

F. Levent Degertekin is a Regents' Entrepreneur and the George W. Woodruff Chair in Mechanical Systems and Professor at the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. His office is located in Love Building, room 311B, and his contact email is levent.degertekin@me.gatech.edu. Dr. Degertekin's academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University (1997), an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Bilkent University, Turkey (1991), and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Middle East Technical University, Turkey (1989).

Dr. Degertekin's research focuses on micromachined ultrasonic devices and systems for medical applications, particularly in intravascular ultrasound imaging, therapeutic ultrasound, and acousto-optical sensors for MRI. His work spans from fundamental research on novel transduction methods to complete catheter-based imaging systems close to commercialization. He has made significant contributions to capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs), developing diffraction grating based optomechanical sensing methods now commercialized by Silicon Audio, novel atomic force microscopy imaging probes, and micromachined ultrasonic ejector structures for cell transfection commercialized by OpenCell Technologies.

His research integrates acoustics, optics, and their combinations for various medical applications, utilizing conventional microfabrication (MEMS) and integrated circuit technologies. The Degertekin lab exposes students to applied physics, electrical, mechanical and biomedical engineering, biology, and biomimetic systems, providing them with thorough theoretical and experimental education in acoustics and optics while learning interdisciplinary research.

Dr. Degertekin's work has received significant media attention, including coverage in IEEE Spectrum, Wired Magazine, The New York Times, and Fox Business News, highlighting innovations such as handheld ultrasound probes, MRI safety sensors, and minimally invasive cardiac imaging technologies.

• IEEE Fellow for 'Contributions to micromachined ultrasonic and optomechanical transducers and systems,' 2022
• IEEE UFFC Society Inaugural Carl Hellmuth Hertz Ultrasonic Achievement Award, 2014
• George W. Woodruff School Outstanding Achievement in Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Award, 2024
• National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 2004-2009
• Whitaker Foundation Biomedical Engineering Research Grant Award, 2001
• 66 US and 6 International Patents

Dr. Degertekin has mentored numerous students who have gone on to make significant contributions in the field. Several of his students have received IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium Best Student Paper Awards, including Jeff McLean (2003), Sheng-Yu Peng (2006), Rasim O. Guldiken (2005 and 2007), and Toby Xu (2014). His research has been supported by various grants including the NSF CAREER Award and Whitaker Foundation grant. His work has led to multiple commercial ventures including Silicon Audio and OpenCell Technologies.

The Degertekin Group at Georgia Tech focuses on transducers and systems for medical imaging and sensing, with current projects including capacitive parametric transducers, acousto-optic sensors for MRI, novel transducer methods for focused ultrasound in the brain, microsystems for intravascular and intracardiac ultrasound imaging, and CMUT-on-CMOS systems for IVUS imaging.