Laboratories

Director: Dr. Arash Komaee
Phone: (618) 453-7022

The Laboratory for Control and Optimization Lab is dedicated to research on control of miniaturized systems. The particular emphasis is on design and control of micro-scale robots remotely actuated by magnetic fields. Magnetic fields generated by electro- or permanent magnets are smartly manipulated to gain precise control over magnetized micro-robots. On the theoretical side, our research is aimed at developing novel control, measurement, and signal processing techniques required for precise positioning of micro-scale particles. On the experimental side, we design and implement physical testbeds to verify the effectiveness of our theory and advance them to applied technology. Research areas include control theory, estimation theory, signal processing, and electromagnetics.

Director: Dr. Spyros Tragoudas
Phone: (618) 453-7051

The Electronic Design and Test Automation Laboratory research areas are in VLSI Design Automation, Verification and Validation of Embedded Systems, Emerging Technologies, Hardware Security.

Director: Dr. Ying Chen
Phone: (618) 453-7030

The Digital Imaging Laboratory research areas are in medical image reconstruction, signal and image processing.

Director: Dr. Jun Qin
Phone: (618) 453-4038

The Digital Instrumentation Laboratory houses equipment and software for research activities related to sensor and instrumentation, digital data acquisition, viral instrumentation, signal analysis, and ultrasound devices. Research areas include bioinstrumentation, digital data acquisition and analysis, acoustic medical applications, noise induced hearing loss, medical system development, ultrasound imaging, and theraputic ultrasound.

Director: Dr. Iraklis Anagnostopoulos
Phone: (618) 453-3285

The Embedded Systems Software Lab houses equipment and software for research activities related to embedded and many-core systems. Our research activities focus on the development of novel algorithms for run-time resource management, software frameworks and application customization. The goal is to produce innovative and efficient solutions while keeping high quality standards. Research Areas include embedded systems, real-time systems, many-core architectures, and application customization.

Director: Dr. Dimitrios Kagaris
Phone: (618) 453-7994

The Fault Tolerant Design Laboratory research areas are in: (a) digital design automation, (b) design for testability, (c) sensor networks, and (d) data mining and bioinformatics. The research focus is on optimization of transistor-level designs, design for testability, and VLSI test. Research is also being done on sensor networks.

Director: Dr. Haibo Wang
Phone: (618) 453-7659
Website: Haibo Wang

The Mixed-Signal Design and Test Laboratory research areas are in in mixed-signal VLSI, sensor signal acquisition and processing, intelligent sensor system, and medical sensor device.

Director: Dr. Shaikh Ahmed
Phone: (618) 453-7053

Research activities in the Nanoelectronics Laboratory​ focus mainly in the field of theoretical and computational nanoelectronics with particular efforts to address technological challenges and to find possible solutions. The Group is currently interested and working on the multiscale electronic structure and quantum transport modeling of various nanostructures including novel transistors, semiconducting 2-D structures and nanowires, quantum dots and nanocrystals, solid-state lighting sources and their reliability, nanoscale thermoelectric and piezoelectric energy-harvesting devices, and nanoelectronic devices for applications in harsh environments. Research and computational efforts in the Nanoelectronics Laboratory make extensive use of advanced algorithms and state-of-the-art high-performance cluster and CPU/GPGPU distributed computing platforms. The Group is also extensively involved in developing community nanoelectronics software/tools for researchers and academicians around the globe.

Director: Dr. Ning Weng
Phone: (618) 453-7014

The Network Systems Laboratory focuses on programmable network systems, network security and wireless sensor networks. The increasing network bandwidth, expanding network services, emerging wireless sensor networks and lacking security and quality of service pose continuing and growing challenges for the Internet to evolve and scale. Our lab addresses these challenges by developing network systems architecture, algorithms, methodology and system prototyping. Research areas include network processing systems, deep packet inspection, sensor networks, and embedded system security.

Director: Dr. Mohammad Sayeh
Phone: (618) 453-7022

Photonics Laboratories provide students in undergraduate and graduate levels with the fundamentals of Photonics needed to be engaged in an experimental research. Photonics I (ECE 441) and Photonics II (ECE 448) experiments are: Intensity modulation using polarizers and wave retarders, Measurement of Gaussian beam complex curvature, Construction of a Michelson's interferometer to be used for displacement and wavelength measurement, Handling fibers and determination of numerical aperture, Assembling and testing of a fiber-optic datalink, Laser light modulation using an electro-optic device, and Optical filtering using Fourier optics. In addition to these experiments, the Photonics research focuses on the terahertz optical A/D convertors and the photorefractive-based resonators. Other research areas include neural networks, image transmission through optical fiber, 3D optical storage, and photonic delta sigma modulators.

Director: Dr. Chao Lu
Phone: (618) 453-3035

The VLSI System Research Laboratory’s current research focuses on developing low power and high performance VLSI Systems, including: (1) process-device-circuit-system co-design and optimization (such as energy harvesting systems, 3D-IC VLSI system with emerging novel devices), (2) high efficient video coding (H.265) VLSI hardware implementation.

Director: Dr. Gayan Amarasuriya Aruma Baduge
Phone: (618) 453-7659

Wireless Communications and Information Systems Laboratory (WCISL) is actively involved in the theoretical and practical aspects of modern communications and information systems. Research in WCISL focuses on design and analysis of (i) novel physical-layer transmission technologies for next-generation wireless communication systems and (ii) efficient algorithms for information processing through the applications of mathematical and statistical theories. Other research areas include massive MIMO systems, millimeter-wave wireless communications, wireless energy harvesting for Internet-of-Things, device-to-device communications, physical-layer security, and cooperative relay networks.

Director: Dr. Chilman Bae
Phone: (618) 453-2130 
Website: BAE Laboratory

Dr. Bae's lab is dedicated to advancing our understanding of cellular mechanobiology through innovative biotechniques and tools, including numerical and computational simulations. They have made significant strides in the electrophysiological study of human mechanosensitive ion channels, specifically PIEZO1 and PIEZO2, by characterizing their biophysical properties and revealing the pathophysiological role of PIEZO1 in humans. Additionally, the lab investigates the synaptic mechanisms underlying opioid-induced, neuropathic, and HIV-associated pain in the spinal cord's dorsal horn.