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The electronic and computer engineering department gained a new associate professor in 2023, Ethan Ahn, who is leading the Mason Nanoelectronics Lab.
Ahn joined Mason after teaching at the University of Texas San Antonio for seven years. Prior to teaching, he earned a PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 2015, did postdoctoral research at Stanford, and worked at Apple as a senior panel process engineer.
“‘Professor has been my dream job since I was young,” said Ahn. “I was surely influenced and inspired by great professors whom I met during my college years, such as [Supriyo] Datta of Purdue University, but I also believe I like teaching from the heart.”
Ahn credits Mason’s newly built nanofabrication facility for attracting him to the school, saying it is a vital resource for his state-of-the art research. He also likes that Fairfax, Virginia, has all four seasons and is a good home for his family.
“My research group focuses on developing novel computing hardware using nanoscale materials and devices,” said Ahn. “I also collaborate extensively with researchers in other disciplines such as biomedical, energy, mechanical, and civil [engineering] to help them to address critical societal challenges that the nation faces.”
Thus far, Ahn has enjoyed seeing his students learn new material. He is gratified when students let him know how useful his lessons are as they pursue careers. “The biggest joy that I derive from my job is when I hear from students that they learned,” he said. “I don’t hear this very often, unfortunately, but sometimes students tell me that they did good on their job interview to get their dream job thanks to lessons learned in my class. Students who earned the graduate degrees under my supervision also sometimes get back to me saying that they learned from me how to solve research problems and how to work well with others in a team.”
Ahn’s goal at Mason is to graduate ten doctoral students who go on to secure faculty positions either in the United States or in their home countries. He joked, “Does it sound too ambitious?”
An amateur guitarist and music enthusiast, Ahn’s dream course to teach would be Science and Engineering Behind the Music: “I believe these two areas require the most creativity and share many similarities,” he said, asking, “Wouldn’t it be interesting to teach engineering students engineering using not math, but music, as a tool?”
In the upcoming semester, Ahn will teach an undergraduate and a graduate section of Nanoelectronics Fundamentals.