Ken Mai

Ken Mai is a Principal Systems Scientist in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), part of the College of Engineering. He holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. His research focuses on high-performance circuit design, secure IC design, radiation hardening, reconfigurable computing, and computer architecture. He has received prestigious awards including the NSF CAREER Award and the George Tallman Ladd Research Award.

Education:

• Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, 2005
• M.S., Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, 1997
• B.S., Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, 1993

Research Interests:
Dr. Mai’s work addresses challenges in nanometer-scale CMOS technology, including interconnect delay, leakage, and soft errors. His projects include secure IC design against hardware attacks, robust memory techniques using digital communications, 100GHz logic via cryogenic cooling, and bio-implantable computing platforms. He collaborates with neurosurgeons at the University of Pittsburgh for medical applications.

Key Projects:

• Secure IC Design: Countermeasures against invasive/non-invasive attacks
• Robust Memory Design: Error correction codes for resilience
• 100GHz Logic: Cryogenically cooled CMOS for high-speed applications
• Bio-Implantable Systems: Low-power, high-density computing for medical devices

Awards:

• NSF CAREER Award
• George Tallman Ladd Research Award
• Eta Kappa Nu Excellence in Teaching Award

Teaching and Advising:
He teaches courses like 18-322 (Digital Circuits), 18-617 (Memory Systems), and advises students including Mudit Bhargava and Mark McCartney. His lab, the VLSI Design Group, develops tools and methodologies linking circuit design to architectural design.

Contact:
Email: kenmai@ece.cmu.edu
Website: Carnegie Mellon VLSI Design Group