Steven M. Bowers

Steven M. Bowers is an Associate Professor in the Charles L. Brown Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Virginia. He joined the faculty in 2014 after completing his PhD at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he also earned his M.S. and B.S. His research focuses on integrating high-frequency analog circuits, electromagnetic structures, and silicon photonics to advance millimeter-wave applications such as adaptive circuits, self-healing systems, and power generation. He leads the Integrated Electromagnetics, Circuits, and Systems (IECS) Lab, emphasizing energy-efficient IoT devices and ultra-low-power wake-up receivers.

Education:

• B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of California, San Diego (2007)
• M.S. and Ph.D., Millimeter-Wave Circuits and Systems, California Institute of Technology (2009, 2014)
• Postdoctoral Researcher, California Institute of Technology (2013–2014)

Research Interests:

• Millimeter-Wave and Terahertz Electronics
• Integrated Silicon Photonics
• Low-Power Design for IoT
• Self-Healing Circuits and Adaptive Systems
• Optical Frequency Synthesis
• Energy-Efficient Wake-Up Receivers

Key Awards:

• 2015 IEEE MTT-S Microwave Prize
• 2013 IEEE IMS Best Student Paper Award
• 2012 IEEE RFIC Symposium Best Student Paper Award

Grants & Projects:

• Principal Investigator for the DARPA N-Zero-funded VENUS Project, aiming to extend IoT battery life via ultra-low-power wake-up radios.
• Development of chip-scale optical resonator-enabled synthesizers (CORES) for stable microwave/mmWave generation.

Labs & Teams: Leads the IECS Lab, collaborating on interdisciplinary projects at the intersection of photonics, RF circuits, and energy-efficient systems.