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College of Engineering News

Jan 15, 2026
AI Powers New Research on Covert Attention

William Wang and colleagues find new neuron types tied to driving and other activities that involve shifting attention without shifting gaze. 

Source: The Current
Simon Billinge

Jan 12, 2026
New Materials Professor Is Also the New Director of CSNI

After 17 years at Columbia University, Simon Billinge heads west to lead the Califorinia NanoSystems Institute.

Jan 07, 2026
MESA Accelerates Student Success

A second-year engineering student and her team thrive in the MESA Idea Accelerator Program. 

A group of students attends the Future Makers program at UC Santa Barbara

Jan 06, 2026
New Future Makers Program Broadens STEM Opportunities for Underserved Youth

CNSI's Innovation Workshop welcomes elementary and middle school students to STEM exploration events.

Source: The Current
Kevin Plaxco

Dec 15, 2025
Kevin Plaxco Elected Fellow of National Academy of Inventors

The honor comes thanks to a sensor, developed in the Plaxco lab, that promises more precise dosing of medicinal drugs.

An illustration of a highly precise chip-based magnetometer based on a special material that changes optical properties in response to a magnetic field

Dec 11, 2025
Chip-Scale Magnetometer Uses Light for High-Precision Magnetic Sensing

Based on a magneto-optic material, the precision magnetometer could enable light-weight and low-power sensing for space, navigation and medical applications

Axel Palmstrom, a UC Santa Barbara graduate

Dec 11, 2025
UCSB Graduate Named One of the World’s Most Cited Researchers

Axel Palmstrom is among those recognized for important contributions in their fields of research.

Linda Petzold Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science

Dec 11, 2025
UCSB Professor Linda Petzold Elected Fellow of IETI

Linda Petzold is among seventy scholars elected for their global influence.

Concept illustration depicting (right) geometric frustration of magnetic moments such that long-range order cannot be achieved, while (left), the moments are in a state of long-range order, with each moment having a partner oriented in the opposite direction to its own. Illustration by Brian Long

Dec 02, 2025
The Positive Side to Frustration

Stephen Wilson discovers how a “stuck” state might work for quantum applications.

Photo of Shantal Adajian UCSB PhD candidate

Dec 02, 2025
Strain into Strength: A Doctoral Student’s Unique Journey

Shantal Adajian grew up amid war, scarcity, and uncertainty. Now she is pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering at UC Santa Barbara.

Head shot of Eric (Xin) Wang, an assistant professor of computer science at UC Santa Barbara

Nov 20, 2025
Eric Wang Receives Prestigious J.P. Morgan Chase Research Award

The award supports development of models to advance understanding of financial market behavior.

Two UCSB researchers wearing blue coats stand in a laboratory holding a circuit board

Nov 19, 2025
UCSB Researchers Receive Award to Study Sustainable Computer System Design

Graduate student Pranjali Jain’s research leads to $1.6 million grant to explore a greener future for computer hardware.

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