Photonics researcher Jing Zhang ’13 Ph.D. is an endowed assistant professor at RIT

Dr. Jing Zhang ’13 Ph.D., the Kate Gleason Endowed Assistant Professor in the department of electrical and microelectronic engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology, has won an NSF CAREER award in support of her work in developing high-efficiency ultraviolet photonics technology.

Zhang received her doctorate from the electrical and computer engineering department at Lehigh’s P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. Zhang’s Ph.D. work was carried out in the Center for Photonics and Nanoelectronics (CPN) at Lehigh, and her advisor was Dr. Nelson Tansu, the Daniel E. ’39 and Patricia M. Smith Endowed Chair Professor and CPN director.

“Jing Zhang was one of our most exemplary graduate students during her period at Lehigh,” says Tansu, who is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. “Her work performed in the Center for Photonics and Nanoelectronics was highly multidisciplinary. She made great contributions to the areas of deep UV optoelectronics and nitride-based thermoelectricity. We are proud of her accomplishments.”

Zhang’s novel research investigates the unrealized potentials of the ultraviolet light spectrum to create efficient semiconductor-based ultraviolet optoelectronic devices using ultraviolet LED technologies. This can be beneficial in photolithography and 3D printing, among other applications.

The prestigious NSF CAREER award recognizes faculty who are still early in their career but have promise to be role models in research and education within their departments. The $500,145 in funding will support her research over five years.

Story by Madison Hoff '19, a student writer for the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science

Jing Zhang

Dr. Jing Zhang ’13 Ph.D. is the Kate Gleason Endowed Assistant Professor in the department of electrical and microelectronic engineering at RIT. Image courtesy of Jing Zhang/RIT