Yakun Sophia Shao

Yakun Sophia Shao is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) at the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a Ph.D. (2016) and M.S. (2014) in Computer Science from Harvard University, alongside a B.E. in Electrical Engineering from Zhejiang University, China. Her research focuses on computer architecture, particularly domain-specific accelerators, heterogeneous systems, and agile VLSI design methodologies.

• Key research centers: Agile Design of Efficient Processing Technologies (ADEPT), Berkeley Emerging Technologies Research (BETR), Berkeley Wireless Research Center (BWRC), SpeciaLIzed Computing Ecosystems (SLICE)

Her work explores hardware-software co-design for efficiency in AI and robotics, including projects like Simba (chiplet-based AI accelerators) and Virgo (GPU matrix units). Notable tools developed include WIICA (workload characterization) and Chipyard (SoC frameworks).

Selected honors include:

• 2024 CRA-WP Anita Borg Early Career Award
• 2023 NSF CAREER Award
• 2022 IEEE TCCA Young Computer Architect Award
• 2022 Intel Rising Star Faculty Award

She teaches courses including EECS 151 (Digital Design & ICs) and EECS 251A (Advanced Digital Design).