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October 2026

University of Tennessee Researchers Win Best Paper Award at ISQED 2026

[April 2026]

ISQED 2026 Best Paper Award

A research team led by NorDIC Lab Ph.D. student Md Rahatul Islam Udoy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, received the Best Paper Award at the 2026 International Symposium on Quality Electronic Design (ISQED) for their paper titled “Inter-Pixel Binary Edge-Detection (IPBED) Array.” The paper was co-authored by Md Rahatul Islam Udoy, Md Mazharul Islam, Prof. Garrett Rose, and Dr. Ahmedullah Aziz.

The research introduces an inter-pixel binary edge-detection architecture inspired by the efficiency of biological vision. By detecting image edges directly within the sensor array and generating binary edge information, the proposed approach aims to reduce data transfer and processing requirements, supporting the development of faster and more energy-efficient visual sensing systems.

Udoy conducted this research under the supervision of Dr. Ahmedullah Aziz. The award recognizes the team’s contributions to emerging image sensor architectures and in-sensor computing. Congratulations to all the authors on this outstanding achievement!

Link to the paper: Inter-Pixel Binary Edge-Detection (IPBED) Array – IEEE Xplore

ISQED 2026 Best Paper Award recognition

 

Udoy Receives Back-to-Back Gonzalez Awards for Research and Teaching

[April 30, 2026]

Md Rahatul Islam Udoy, a Ph.D. student in the Nanoelectronic Devices and Integrated Circuits (NorDIC) Lab at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, received the 2026 Gonzalez Family Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award in Electrical Engineering. The award was presented at the annual Gonzalez Awards Banquet, organized by the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

This recognition marks Udoy’s second consecutive Gonzalez Award. In 2025, he received the Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award in Electrical Engineering, followed by the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award in 2026. These back-to-back honors recognize his contributions to both research and teaching within the department. Each year, one graduate student from each of the three disciplines, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Computer Science, is selected for the respective Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award. Congratulations to Udoy on this recognition of his dedication to academic research and teaching excellence!

Related News: EECS Bestows Honors at Awards Banquet – Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

 

Udoy Receives 2025 Gonzalez Family Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award

[April 16, 2025]

Md Rahatul Islam Udoy receives the 2025 Gonzalez Family Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award

Md Rahatul Islam Udoy, a Ph.D. student in the NorDIC Lab, received the 2025 Gonzalez Family Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award in Electrical Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This award is the highest departmental recognition for a graduate research assistant in Electrical Engineering within the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, recognizing exceptional research accomplishments and contributions. Udoy conducts his doctoral research under the supervision of Dr. Ahmedullah Aziz. Congratulations to Udoy on this outstanding achievement!

Related News: Faculty, Staff, and Students Honored at Gonzalez Awards – Min H. Kao Department of EECS

 

Udoy Receives 2026–27 UT-ORII GATE Fellowship

[June 11, 2026]

Md Rahatul Islam Udoy, recipient of the 2026–27 UT-ORII GATE Fellowship

Md Rahatul Islam Udoy, a Ph.D. student in the Nanoelectronic Devices and Integrated Circuits (NorDIC) Lab at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been awarded the prestigious Graduate Advancement, Training, and Education (GATE) Fellowship for the 2026–27 academic year. Udoy conducts his doctoral research under the supervision of Dr. Ahmedullah Aziz, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

The GATE Fellowship, established by the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UT-ORII), supports graduate research and promotes collaboration between the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The fellowship provides a 12-month graduate research appointment. Udoy’s research focuses on in-sensor and in-pixel computing using emerging nanoelectronic devices and integrated circuits.

Congratulations to Udoy on this achievement!

Related News: Four Graduate Engineering Students Receive GATE Fellowships – Tickle College of Engineering

 

Udoy and Dr. Aziz Co-Author Featured APL Perspective Highlighted by AIP Scilight

[September 3, 2026]

Featured Applied Physics Letters Perspective co-authored by Udoy and Dr. Aziz

A Perspective article co-authored by NorDIC Lab Ph.D. student Md Rahatul Islam Udoy and his advisor, Dr. Ahmedullah Aziz, in collaboration with researchers from Sandia National Laboratories, has been selected as a Featured Article in Applied Physics Letters (APL) and highlighted in a dedicated Scilight article by AIP Publishing. Udoy led the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s contributions to this interdisciplinary work.

The Perspective, titled “Predictive First-Principles Simulations for Co-Designing Next-Generation Energy-Efficient AI Systems,” discusses how predictive simulations can guide the design of next-generation computing hardware. It emphasizes connecting materials and device physics with circuit-level performance to inform the development of more energy-efficient artificial intelligence systems.

The authors highlight the substantial computational demands of matrix multiplication operations in modern AI applications and discuss how first-principles simulations can support the co-design of materials, devices, interconnects, and computing architectures. This approach provides guidance for developing specialized hardware capable of addressing the growing energy demands of AI.

The Perspective was co-authored by Denis Mamaluy, Md Rahatul Islam Udoy, Juan P. Mendez, Ben Feinberg, Wei Pan, and Dr. Ahmedullah Aziz. Recognizing its significance, AIP Publishing selected the article as a Featured Article in APL and published a dedicated Scilight titled “Predictive Device Simulations to Enable More Energy-Efficient AI.”

Congratulations to the NorDIC Lab researchers and their collaborators on these recognitions!

Link to the APL Perspective: https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0333458

Link to the AIP Scilight: https://doi.org/10.1063/10.0046482

 

HITES¹² Team Mentored by Dr. Aziz and Udoy Wins First Place in Poster Competition

[2026]

A team of high school students mentored by the NorDIC Lab won first place in the poster competition at the 2026 HITES12 program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The team’s project focused on the electrical characterization of memristors, providing students with hands-on experience investigating the electrical behavior of emerging memory devices.

The project was conducted under the supervision of Dr. Ahmedullah Aziz, with Ph.D. student Md Rahatul Islam Udoy serving as the graduate mentor. The students presented their findings through a research poster, earning first place in the program’s main competition.

HITES12, hosted by the Tickle College of Engineering at UTK, introduces rising twelfth-grade students to engineering through hands-on laboratory experiences, collaborative projects, and engineering challenges.

Congratulations to the student team on their outstanding achievement!

 

Dr. Aziz Awarded for Smart Pixel Technology Developed with his Ph.D. Student Udoy

[December 2024]

Dr. Ahmedullah Aziz and his Ph.D. student Md Rahatul Islam Udoy from the NorDIC Lab at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, received the 2024 Defense TechConnect Innovation Challenge Award for their smart pixel technology, which has since been patented. The award was presented in recognition of an innovation with the potential to address critical challenges in defense and civilian applications.

The technology was showcased at the 2024 Defense TechConnect Innovation Summit and Expo, held in December 2024 in Austin, Texas. Dr. Aziz presented the innovation to industry, military, and government leaders. The event brought together innovators and representatives of the U.S. Department of Defense to explore emerging technologies with potential applications in national security and beyond.

Congratulations to Dr. Aziz and Udoy on this recognition!

 

 

Udoy nominated for the Jimmy and Ileen Cheek Graduate Student Medal of Excellence

[2026]

Md Rahatul Islam Udoy, a Ph.D. student in the NorDIC Lab, was nominated for the prestigious Jimmy and Ileen Cheek Graduate Student Medal of Excellence at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This award recognizes outstanding Ph.D. students for their exceptional academic achievements, exemplary leadership, community involvement, passion for their chosen field of study, personal sacrifices made in pursuit of their education, and dedication to exceeding expectations. Congratulations to Udoy on receiving this recognition!

 

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