[April 2026]
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
uet, organized by the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
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!
Mazhar’s recent paper on cryogenic neuromorphic hardware was selected as the 2023 Early Career Investigator Best Paper in Journal of Applied Physics. The award, given to only three people per year, highlights the exceptional work of early career investigators who received their PhD less than 10 years ago. This paper focused on the development of neuromorphic systems operating at cryogenic temperatures, where some of the key challenges in the field along with insights into what the future may look like for such research were discussed.
Shamiul has been nominated for the highly esteemed Jimmy and Ileen Cheek Graduate Student Medal of Excellence. This award recognizes outstanding Ph.D. students from the University of Tennessee Knoxville for their exceptional academic potential and achievement, exemplary leadership and community involvement, genuine passion for the chosen field of study, personal sacrifices made for their education, and dedication to exceeding expectations. Congratulations to Shamiul for being acknowledged among the best Ph.D. students at UTK.