Nick Holonyak, Jr. Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory

06/03/2026

New research from HMNTL's prof. Yurii Vlasov is challenging everything we thought we knew about how the brain decides.

A new study reveals that the brain may begin making decisions before the rational part of the mind kicks in.

04/30/2026

Researchers from The Grainger College of Engineering have demonstrated a new method for converting single photons. Their device has implications for quantum internet infrastructure and hybrid quantum systems.

04/28/2026

Reddy’s company, Prenosis — co-founded with Illinois Grainger Engineering Professor and current Dean Rashid Bashir — develops AI diagnostic tools for precision medicine in acute care by mapping patients’ unique biological profiles.

Reddy’s company, Prenosis — co-founded with Illinois Grainger Engineering Professor and current Dean Rashid Bashir — develops AI diagnostic tools for precision medicine in acute care by mapping patients’ unique biological profiles. Prenosis announced in January the completion of its $20 mill...

04/15/2026

Kejie Fang, Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The Grainger College of Engineering, has received a 2 year, $2 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a wavelength-agile entangled photon source (WAEPS) using nonlinear photonic integrated circuits.

DARPA funding to advance high-performance quantum interconnect

04/01/2026

Professor Brian Cunningham is part of a team that includes researchers from University of California San Francisco and Washington University that was awarded a$4.8M grant from the Department of Defense to develop a portable, affordable biosensor device that uses plasmonic fluors, paper test strips, smartphone-linked readers, and artificial intelligence to detect biomarkers for sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The sensing method and handheld ~$50 reader has already proven effective in detecting gonorrhea antigen in urine, performing on par with expensive laboratory-based systems.

03/16/2026

Timing is critical in diagnosing diseases such as cancer. Researchers within The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign used a historically underappreciated tiny powerhouse to detect diseases sooner.

Timing is critical in diagnosing diseases such as cancer. Researchers within The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign used a historically underappreciated tiny powerhouse to detect diseases sooner. 

02/20/2026

Congratulations to professor Jean-Pierre Leburton on being named an AAIS Fellow. His long career in nanoscale semiconductor research spans silicon devices, quantum systems and new hybrid ideas connecting electronics with biology, with the goal of increasing device functionality for future information processing.

From quantum systems to DNA-integrated electronics and blue energy harvesting, ECE emeritus professor at The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Jean-Pierre Leburton's work points toward a new paradigm beyond traditional transistor scaling. 

02/05/2026

A new company is promising a game-changing solid-state battery, but experts are skeptical. UIUC professor Paul Braun told The Washington Post that nothing in the claims breaks physics, but real proof is needed before anyone can call it a true breakthrough. A helpful reminder that bold announcements aren’t the same as verified science.

New batteries in electric vehicles could store more energy, charge faster and last longer, while lowering fire risk

01/30/2026

After being quoted in an NPR article covering governmental support of Intel, Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor John Dallesasse provides his expertise on semiconductor devices and integration.

Illinois Grainger Engineering Professor John Dallesasse of the Electrical and Computer Engineering department was recently quoted in an article from NPR cove...

01/15/2026

Two professors at The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are among the 169 U.S. distinguished academic and institutional inventors and 16 International Fellows named to the 2025 class.

Fellowship in the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors. Rohit Bhargava, Professor of Bioengineering and Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering, and Jean-Pierre Leburton, Gregory Stillman Professor of Electrical and Computer Engi...