Faculty Directory

Ghodssi, Reza

Ghodssi, Reza

Herbert Rabin Distinguished Chair in Engineering
Former Director, Institute for Systems Research (2009-2017)
Executive Director of Research and Innovation
Fischell Institute Fellow
Founding Co-Director, Brain and Behavior Initiative/Institute (2015-2021)
Electrical and Computer Engineering
The Institute for Systems Research
Maryland Energy Innovation Institute
Fischell Department of Bioengineering
Materials Science and Engineering
MATRIX Lab
Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices
2232 Kim Building

Reza Ghodssi is the Herbert Rabin Distinguished Chair in Engineering and Director of the MEMS Sensors and Actuators Lab (MSAL) in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and the Institute for Systems Research (ISR) at the University of Maryland (UMD). He is also affiliated with the Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BIOE), the Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices (Fischell Institute), the Maryland NanoCenter, the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute (MEII), and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at UMD. Dr. Ghodssi is the Inaugural Executive Director of Research and Innovation for the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland (USMSM), MATRIX Lab (MATRIX). Dr. Ghodssi's research interests are in the design and development of micro/nano/bio devices and systems for chemical and biological sensing, small-scale energy conversion and harvesting with a strong emphasis toward healthcare applications.

Dr. Ghodssi was the director of the Institute for Systems Research (ISR) for eight years (2009-2017). During this time, he launched a number of interdisciplinary initiatives aimed at enhancing the impact of ISR research efforts on society while building a more interactive faculty, staff and student community across different disciplines in the institute. These efforts include the launch of the Maryland Robotics Center (MRC) targeted at advancing robotic systems, underlying component technologies, and applications of robotics through research and educational programs that are interdisciplinary in nature and based on a systems approach. Dr. Ghodssi served as the founding co-director of the Brain and Behavior Initiative (BBI) for six years (2015-2021). BBI is aimed at revolutionizing the interface between engineers and neuroscientists by generating novel tools and approaches to understand complex behaviors produced by the human brain. Dr. Ghodssi’s continuous efforts in reaching out to alumni and industry colleagues resulted in a large number of industry-sponsored monthly seminar series as well as annual fellowships for graduate students and post-doctoral associates to attend conferences and an active industry-oriented mentoring ecosystem in the Systems Engineering Education program in the Institute. Dr. Ghodssi served as the President-elect of the Transducer Research Foundation (TRF) from 2020 until 2022. Since June 2022, he has been serving as the new President of TRF. The TRF is a nonprofit organization in the United States whose mission is to stimulate research in science and engineering, with emphasis on technologies related to transducers, microsystems, and nanosystems, and to foster the exchange of ideas and information between academic, industrial, and government researchers.

Dr. Ghodssi's research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Army Research Office (ARO), National Science Foundation (NSF), and R.W. Deutsch Foundation. He served as a chairman of the MEMS and NEMS Technical Group at the American Vacuum Society (AVS) from 2002 to 2004. Dr. Ghodssi also served as the Technical Program Committee Chair for the 2020 Solid-State Sensors, Actuators, and Microsystems Workshop (Hilton Head 2020) and the General Chair for the Hilton Head Workshop in 2022 (Hilton Head 2022). He was chair of the 9th International Workshop on Micro and Nanotechnology for Power Generation and Energy Conversion Applications (PowerMEMS 2009) and the 2012 NSF Workshop on Micro, Nano, Bio Systems. He also served as the Americas Technical Program Committee chair of IEEE SENSORS 2010, 2011 and 2012. He chaired the committee for the Denice Denton Emerging Leader ABIE Award sponsored by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI) and Microsoft from 2007 until 2016. Dr. Ghodssi was also the lead organizer and chair of the inaugural Denice Denton Emerging Leaders Workshop 2016 held in Madison, Wisconsin, focused on helping mid-career faculty (women and men) develop knowledge, skills, strategies, and critical networks.

Dr. Ghodssi is a University of Maryland Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, a Fellow of IEEE, AVS, and ASME, has 174 journal publications and 369 refereed conference papers, and is the co-editor of the MEMS Materials and Processes Handbook published in 2011. He served as an associate editor for the Biomedical Microdevices (BMMD) for 13 years (2008-2021) and served as an associate editor for the Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems (JMEMS) for twelve years (2008-2020). Also, Dr. Ghodssi is the guest associate editor of the IEEE Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems "Special Proceeding" of the Hilton Head 2020 Workshop (October 2020). He has nine U.S. patents issued, nine U.S. patents published, with another nine pending. Dr. Ghodssi received the 2001 UMD George Corcoran Award, the 2002 National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the 2003 UMD Outstanding Systems Engineering Faculty Award, and the 2024 American Vacuum Society (AVS) Gaede-Langmuir Award. He was among 100 of the nation's outstanding engineers invited to attend the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium in 2007 and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) EU-U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium in 2010. Dr. Ghodssi was the co-founder of the MEMS Alliance in the greater Washington area and is a member of the MRS, ASEE, and AAAS societies.

Honors and awards

  • American Vacuum Society (AVS) Gaede-Langmuir Award (2024)
  • Invention of the Year Finalist, Life Sciences Category (2024)
  • Jimmy H. C. Lin Invention Award (2018)
  • Invention of the Year Award, Life Sciences Category (2017) 

Fellows

  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellow, 2015
  • American Vacuum Society (AVS) Fellow, 2015
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Fellow, 2015

Young faculty awards

  • NSF CAREER Award (2002)

University of Maryland Awards

  • A. James Clark School of Engineering Senior Faculty Outstanding Research Award (2019)
  • Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Award, University of Maryland (2014-2015)
  • Outstanding Systems Engineering Faculty Award, Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland (2003)
  • George Corcoran Award, ECE Department, University of Maryland (2001)

Design and development of microfabrication technologies and processes in micro/nano/bio devices and systems for chemical and biological sensing, small- scale energy conversion and harvesting with a strong emphasis toward healthcare applications.


MATRIX Lab Establishes Industry Advisory Board

First members appointed; Committee will help establish and advise on industry relationships

Sydney Overton receives Graduate School’s Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award

Overton conducts research in the MEMS Sensors and Actuators lab (MSAL) under Herbert Rabin Distinguished Chair in Engineering and Fischell Institute Fellow Reza Ghodssi

Ingestible Capsule Advances May Lead to Earlier Detection of Diseases

Research published in "Microsystems and Nanoengineering" journal

Fischell Institute hosts inaugural Faculty Engagement Symposium

The event was designed for affiliated faculty interested in learning about the Fischell Institute’s history, mission, programs, Fischell Foundry team members and services, and opportunities for collaboration within the institute.

Autonomy Summit Explores Potential and Challenges of AI

University of Maryland MATRIX Lab Summit brings together academia, government, and industry

Twelve University of Maryland Faculty Affiliate With MATRIX Lab

Group will expand current work on autonomous systems research

Two Former MSAL Doctoral Students Awarded Tenure

Ghalichechian (Georgia Tech) and Winkler (KTH) Promoted to Associate Professor

First Evening@SMART Promotes Innovation and Collaboration

Government, industry, and academia gather at SMART Building for advanced technology discussion

Ghodssi Honored With Gaede-Langmuir Award

AVS recognizes UMD faculty member for contributions to the MEMS field.

Teaching students specialized skills for success 

The Democratizing Research and Experimental Education for Microelectronics (DREEM) program aims to connect community colleges with UMD’s resources to give students the skills they need to have a lucrative career in the microelectronics industry workforce. 

New features on ingestible capsule will deliver targeted drugs to better treat IBD, Crohn’s disease

Latest iteration of medical device features dissolving microneedles for drug delivery; external magnetic control

Forty years of MEMS research at the Hilton Head Workshop

UMD Professor Reza Ghodssi is president of Transducer Research Foundation (TRF), the organization that sponsors the event.

Fischell Institute Participates in Maryland Day

Maryland Day is the University of Maryland's largest annual community outreach event. 

Fischell Institute Womxn’s History Month Spotlight: Sydney Overton

Overton’s research focuses on developing an ingestible serotonin-sensing capsule device to help elucidate the role of serotonin in the gut microbiota-brain axis (GMBA).

Clark School Research Nominated for “Invention of the Year”

Localized Drug Delivery from Ingestible Devices is nominated as a 2023 finalist

Fischell Institute Black History Month Spotlight: Michael Straker

Straker attended the University of Maryland because of its commitment to medical device research through initiatives like the Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices, and for its relationship with research institutions like the National Institutes of Health.

Ingestible Capsule Technology Research on Front Cover of Journal

University of Maryland researchers published in Advanced Healthcare Materials

Gut Health Monitoring Gas Sensors Added to Ingestible Capsule Technology

New capabilities described in paper published in high-impact journal

New, Innovative UMD Course Teaches In-Demand Skills

‘Advanced Manufacturing Lab’ currently offered at College Park, will be in Southern Maryland in 2025

Alum Thomas Winkler receives prestigious ERC Starting Grant

Winkler will develop microchips to better understand diseases like schizophrenia

Fischell Institute Spotlight: Katie Ruland

Katie Ruland is member of Reza Ghodssi's MEMS Sensors and Actuators Lab

New ‘FRRB’ packaging technology may solve an ingestible capsule challenge

The innovation, which protects fragile components, has been published in the Nature journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering.

The Fischell Institute participates in Maryland Day

The University of Maryland celebrated its 25th anniversary of Maryland Day

University of Maryland entities partnering with defense company BlueHalo

UMD Clark School of Engineering and BlueHalo support defense mission and workforce development in Southern Maryland

Ghodssi invited speaker at NIMH workshop on sensor technologies to capture the complexity of behavior

Ghodssi talked about MSAL's work in developing systems to sense and monitor the neurotransmitter serotonin.

Fischell Institute Affiliate Spotlight: Sahil Shah

Shah’s research lab focuses broadly on developing energy-efficient computing hardware for areas where resources (size, weight, area, and power) are constrained. 

MSAL’s work on serotonin characterization and detection results in two journal covers

Research is leading to better detection models and portable sensing devices.

Maryland Engineers Awarded Grants to Address Humanity's Grand Challenges

Twelve projects led by or involving Maryland Engineering faculty have been awarded funding through the Grand Challenges Grants Program, the largest and most comprehensive program of its kind ever introduced at the University of Maryland.

Dropping an anchor for better GI tract disease treatment

UMD's new spring actuator, microneedle innovations bring therapeutic ingestible capsules for GI tract diseases closer to reality.

Ghodssi named to new Clark School research and innovation position

He will lead Clark School research, partnership and outreach activities in Southern Maryland.

Undergrads and research experiences: Win! Win! Win!

Exposure to research gives undergraduate students the chance to experience career possibilities.

Fischell Institute Celebrates Invention of the Year Nominations

Four Fischell Institute affiliated faculty were recognized at the 2022 UMD Invention of the Year awards ceremony.

Frequent research collaborator Deanna Kelly named 'MPower Professor'

UMSOM Psychiatry professor has worked on mental health-related projects with Espy-Wilson, Ghodssi, Payne, among others.

Biofilm-fighting catheter insert research named 'featured article' in IEEE TBME

The research by Reza Ghodssi's research group also has led to a patent application.

Fischell Fellowship advances visiting assistant professor’s work

Santiago Botasini is investigating microbiome-to-neuron communication.

Alum develops bioelectric effect toothbrush

Young Wook Kim's TROMATZ toothbrush improves mouth and gum health.

Student Researchers Recognized with Wylie Dissertation Fellowships

Fourteen Clark School students pursuing their Ph.D.s in engineering have been awarded Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowships by the University of Maryland Graduate School.

Biofilm-fighting system for urinary catheters proves effective in simulated environment

The integrated system uses electricity impedance to monitor biofilm and treats it through the bioelectric effect.

Symptoms all in your head—or in your gut? Maybe a little of both.

UMD researchers are building an ingestible capsule that can monitor and model gut microbiome serotonin activity and help demystify the “gut-brain axis.”

Ashley Chapin advances as international finalist in Three-Minute Thesis Competition

Chapin is representing UMD with her video, "Demystifying the Gut-Brain Axis."

Engineering Graduate Students Win UMD 3MT Competition

Three Clark School graduate students were among the university's 2020 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) winners.

Rapidly evolving ‘smart marble’ sensors hold promise for monitoring pharmaceutical industry bioreactors and beyond

Size of the neutrally buoyant bPods has dropped from ‘baseball’ to ‘golf ball’ to ‘cherry’ in just three years.

Alumnus Hyun Jung and colleagues claim top spot in MoNuSAC challenge

Entrants developed a computer-based method for segmenting and identifying four types of cells in stained histopathology slides of tissues from human organs.

Ingestible device research advances, enters new phase

New NSF funding, Lab on a Chip paper for Ghodssi group developing minimally invasive medical devices.

Ashley Chapin a campus-wide winner of the Three-Minute Thesis Competition

Chapin’s video, “Demystifying The Gut-Brain-Axis,” reflects her dissertation work.

Clark School faculty 'AIM-HI' to address major health challenges

The new UMB-UMCP program has announced its first grants for projects combining AI and medicine.

Spurring research group creativity in the time of COVID-19

Student-faculty teams that write review articles for journals reap multiple benefits.

Institute Hosts AMBIC December Conference, Unveils New Research

AMBIC Industry Board members and other researchers convened to discuss new and ongoing projects.

Brain and Behavior Initiative Hosts 3rd Annual Seed Grant Symposium

Researchers from across UMD convene to discuss the latest projects funded by BBI

NSF Awards $1M Grant to UMD Researchers

The interdisciplinary project will explore the molecular connection between the gut and the nervous system.

Fischell Institute Hosts SemiSynBio 

Semiconductor Synthetic Biology annual review offers project guidance for grant-funded research.

Biofilm treatment device receives TEDCO MII funding; paper published in IEEE TBME

In latest development, the researchers have miniaturized the platform and are able to control it through wireless signals.

NSF grant for Ghodssi, Bentley furthers research of flexible devices to combat biofilms

The researchers will combine applied microbiology with engineering disciplines to explore the complex interactions between flexible sensors, bacterial biofilms, and bioelectric treatment.

‘Smart Marbles’ hold promise for better outcomes from bioreactors

The marbles, or 'bPods,' will contain microsystems that can “eavesdrop on biology” during fermentation, cell or culture-growing processes.

Bridging the Gap between Microelectronics, Biological Systems

UMD researchers receive $1.5 M NSF grant to develop first-of-kind bioelectronics.

  • Fellow, 2015

  • Fellow, 2015

  • Fellow, 2015