Wired for excellence

Bertan Bakkaloglu recognized with Joseph C. Palais Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award

Bertan Bakkaloglu, the On Semiconductor Professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, has received the Joseph C. Palais Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award for 2025.

Established in 2016 by electrical engineering Emeritus Professor Joseph Palais, the Palais Award recognizes electrical engineering faculty for excellence in the areas of research, teaching and service.

“I’ve always admired Joseph Palais as a professor and academician. Receiving this award in his name is truly an honor,” Bakkaloglu says. “It recognizes not just my work, but the shared efforts of my students and collaborators at ASU to advance impactful research and teaching. It’s also a recognition of ASU’s ecosystem that encourages interdisciplinary and translational innovation.”

Chaitali Chakrabarti, a professor of electrical engineering in the Fulton Schools, nominated Bakkaloglu for the award.

“Bertan embodies everything that this award stands for: excellence in teaching and mentoring, excellence in research in terms of impactful publications, and excellence in service to our school, the Fulton Schools and the IEEE circuits society,” Chakrabarti says.

Among his many career honors, Bakkaloglu was selected as a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or IEEE, in 2018 and is a member of the National Academy of Inventors. He is a technical committee member for the IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits conference and founding chair of the IEEE Solid State Circuits Society Phoenix Chapter.

Bakkaloglu has authored more than 140 journals and conference papers, holds 15 U.S. patents and received the IEEE International Microwave Symposium Tina Quach Outstanding Service Award in 2020.

The initial spark

Bakkaloglu’s career in engineering was initially sparked by something invisible to the human eye.

“Growing up, I was fascinated by how unseen audio and radio frequency signals could be generated, transmitted, recorded and processed through circuits,” he says. “This curiosity led me toward analog and mixed-signal circuit design.”

In reference to his work, Bakkaloglu describes analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits, or ICs, as the “quiet enablers” behind nearly every modern electronic system.

“My ultimate research theme is miniaturization, or size-weight-and-power reduction of analog, mixed-signal and power-management integrated ICs,” he says. “Recently, my focus shifted from using these mixed-signal circuits to using fully integrated, high-efficiency, digital-intensive power converters for automotive, space and extreme environments.”

His research has received support from industry leaders such as onsemi, NXP Semiconductors, Intel, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments, yielding long collaborations working on integrated power delivery circuits, directly shaping commercial power management IC architectures.

In addition, he has led funded research collaborations with U.S. federal agencies including the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Air Force Research Laboratory, the National Security Technology Accelerator, Sandia National Laboratories and NASA.

Research with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on radiation-tolerant power ICs for space exploration contributed to long-duration missions and projects with the Department of Defense focused on advanced high-efficiency, fast-response DC-to-DC converters for aerospace and defense applications.

Amidst these impactful industry experiences, Bakkaloglu underscores the core academic function of all his research efforts.

“First and foremost, I want to emphasize the main goal of my research work is training students who can go on to become leaders in the areas of analog integrated circuits,” he says.

Pathway from industry to academia

After nearly a decade working with Texas Instruments, Bakkaloglu joined the Fulton Schools in 2004, led by a desire to mentor students and shape the next generation of engineers.

“I wanted to combine my industrial experience in an academic environment to pursue long-term, high-risk high-reward research directions,” he says. “ASU’s location and environment — with its strong ties to industry and forward-looking initiatives — was uniquely suited for translational impact.”

Bakkaloglu describes his mentorship style as emphasizing both technical excellence and career readiness, so students build proficiencies in skillsets directly applicable to major semiconductor companies, research labs and academia.

Teaching with impact

During his time in the Fulton Schools, he has improved and developed several electrical engineering courses, integrating class projects that mirror industry workflows.

Chakrabarti emphasizes the immense benefit students have gained from having outstanding faculty mentors with industry experience like Bakkaloglu.

“Bertan brings in industry-relevant experience to the classroom and our engineering students are very appreciative of the connections that he provides in his classes,” she says.

The Palais Award is not the first time he has received honors for teaching excellence in the Fulton Schools.

At ASU, he has received the Fulton Schools Exemplar Faculty Award, the Fulton Schools Teaching Excellence Award and recognized on the Top 5% Faculty Teachers List 11 times since 2010.

“Teaching is where research truly comes alive, it’s how engineering knowledge gets multiplied,” he says. “Teaching excellence awards remind me that clarity, accessibility and mentorship matter just as much as research output.”

Powering future possibilities 

Bakkaloglu’s dedication to research, teaching and service exemplifies the values championed by the Palais Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award.

His significant work in building ASU’s analog, mixed-signal and power IC program into one of the strongest talent pipelines in the country demonstrates his profound contributions to the ASU engineering community and one he considers a career highlight.

“Watching my doctoral students become faculty members and industry innovators is perhaps the most rewarding aspect of my time at ASU,” Bakkaloglu says.

His ongoing commitment to innovative research and guiding aspiring engineers strengthens the standard for scholarly and professional leadership, highlighting his lasting impact on the electrical engineering program at ASU. 

“What I look forward to most is mentoring the next wave of engineers who will define the future of semiconductors and energy systems,” he says. “I would also like to continue expanding academia–industry–government partnerships to give students exposure to real-world challenges.”