Prof. Tony Grbic, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, was recently awarded an NSF CAREER grant for the project, “Advances in Metamaterial Structures and Devices.”

The objective of Grbic’s research is to examine new methods of manipulating microwaves through the application of wave-focusing metamaterials. Grbic has already achieved some success developing metamaterials with increased bandwidth and greater efficiency. He anticipates his research over the next five years will lead to the emergence of a new class of metamaterials. These composite structures hold promise for such applications as wireless power transmission as well as near-field medical imaging; far-field communication; microscopy, lithography, non-contact sensing and beam-steering.

According to Grbic, “There has been significant research interest in the field of metamaterials in the past seven years, but very little effort has been invested into metamaterial education. The proposed education plan fills this void.” In addition to supporting senior year major design projects and devising a new graduate course exclusively on metamaterials, Grbic will also develop metamaterial modules to be included in existing undergraduate courses. Grbic—who has authored a chapter in one of only three texts currently available on metamaterials—plans to develop a full web-based curriculum to help encourage the spread of teaching and research focusing on metamaterials.

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Tony Grbic is a member of the Radiation Laboratory in the division of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He conducts research in applied electromagnetics. Areas of particular interest to his research group include antennas and radiating systems, microwave circuits and engineered electromagnetic structures (metamaterials, electromagnetic bandgap materials, frequency selective surfaces).

The CAREER grant is one of NSF’s most prestigious awards, conferred for “the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization.”