Expertise: Nanoelectronics

Ivan Sanchez Esqueda is returning to Arizona State University after nearly eight years working at the University of Southern California as a research scientist. Sanchez Esqueda graduated from Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering in 2011 with a doctoral degree in electrical engineering, after earning a master’s degree in the same discipline.

At USC, Sanchez Esqueda led research programs that allowed him to collaborate with various faculty members and advise graduate students. He grew his interests and expertise into areas related to novel materials for various electronic applications. As he research interests expanded, so did his desire to return to ASU. 

“I have admired the research and education capabilities of the engineering programs at ASU that I experienced as a graduate student, and later through collaboration with other ASU faculty,” says Sanchez Esqueda. “I was very excited when the opportunity came to pursue a faculty position at ASU. I knew it would be a great place for me to continue my academic career, and achieve my goals as a researcher and educator.”

Sanchez Esqueda says that his initial interest in engineering came from earlier enthusiasm for mathematics and physics.

“Electrical engineering is a wonderfully wide area of engineering,” he says. “The opportunity to establish connections between real world applications and fundamental nanoscale devices and material science drives my interest in the field of nanoelectronics.” 

Sanchez Esqueda’s research focus is on nanofabrication, device physics, characterization and modeling, which supports the development of technologies that have applications in novel computing, memory, sensing and electronics for use in space and other extreme environments.

“One thing I like about this subject is that it allows us to study fundamental physics with practical engineering applications,” say Sanchez Esqueda. “This makes it a great area for combining education, research and innovation.”