Research

Shawn Bell

Shawn E. Bell is the director of Workforce Development for the UA Power Group – MUSiC (Multi-User Silicon Carbide) Research and Fabrication Lab in Electrical Engineering. His focus is creating a microelectronics and semiconductor workforce and bringing semiconductor industries to Arkansas. He is also the director of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair for 5th -12th-grade students (ISEF affiliated).

Shawn was the former director of the UA STEM Center for Mathematics and Science Education and the Arkansas NASA Educator Resource Center in the College of Education and Health Professions from July 2018 – June 2024, and the director of the STEM Education Undergraduate Program for STEM majors (formerly UATeach) from March 2020 – June 2023. Mr. Bell also served as the science instructional specialist at the STEM Center from 2016-2018.  Prior to his roles at the university, he was a middle school science teacher in Farmington, AR, for 18 years.

Nestor Camargo

Nestor Camargo earned his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arkansas. He has over 17 years of experience as a Chemical Process Engineer, where he developed biotechnology processes and gasification technologies. During this time, he led technology scale-up efforts from bench scale to pilot plant and ultimately to full-scale commercial operations.

Nestor later served as a Research and Development Process Engineer, generating intellectual property to support technology licensing for commercial applications both in the U.S. and abroad. His areas of expertise include gas-substrate anaerobic bioreactor design, high-temperature furnace design, specialty gas generation, and gas conditioning systems for value-added products.

He has also managed large-scale capital projects from concept through continuous operation at chemical plants. As an inventor, Nestor contributed to patents in advanced bioprocess automation using real-time process analytics (including online mass spectrometry and near-infrared technologies) and developed dual-stage bioconversion systems utilizing multiple cell strains.

Rachel Chapko

Rachel Chapko earned her bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Arkansas in 2017. Following graduation, she spent four years teaching English as a second language to Chinese students through VIPKid. During her years as a stay-at-home mom, she authored eight books on family life, focusing on frugal living and homeschooling through the pandemic.

She is now pursuing her master’s in materials science and serves as Workforce Development Research Associate for the UA Power Group, equipping the next generation of American electronics talent.

Zhong Chen

Dr. Zhong Chen is currently Associate Professor in Electrical Engineering at University of Arkansas. He received his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from North Carolina State University, a Master’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the National University of Singapore, and a Bachelor degree from Zhejiang University.

Dr. Chen worked for seven years as ESD specialist in Analog Technology Development at Texas Instruments (TI). At TI, he has been providing ESD solutions for various analog and digital applications in automotive, power management, power interface, high-speed product, audio and imaging products and motor drives. He was recognized as a TMG Member of Technical Staff for his contribution and leadership at TI. In his research, Chen focuses on novel device for harsh environment, integrated circuit (IC) and system level ESD and reliability; power electronics and power devices; wide-bandgap material, devices and packaging.

Zach Cole

Zach Cole received his Master’s in Microelectronics and Photonics (now Material Science and Engineering) from the University of Arkansas and a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Northeastern State University of Oklahoma.

Zach has worked as a power module design engineer packaging wide-bandgap devices (primarily silicon carbide) for the past 15 years at APEI and Cree/Wolfspeed. After designing modules for a wide range of applications, his recent focus has been on high-voltage power module designs and seeing his designs through commercialization. Prior to working in the power module sector, he designed, manufactured, and packaged MEMS pressure sensors for 5 years at Axept.

Jeff Dix

Jeff Dix accepted his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, in December 2013, May 2015, and May 2018, respectively, with all focused in Electrical Engineering.  His research focus is on integrated circuit design in the analog mixed-signal realm.  Before finishing his Bachelor’s degree, he worked as an undergraduate research assistant for the Integrated Circuits and Systems Lab (ICASL) group.  Along with the research experience, he has worked at various companies as a co-op and intern since 2011 with the most recent internship being at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), which was after his Master’s degree.  He is involved in gate driver IC design for high temperature applications in addition to his Ph.D. work in low power and high speed neural network design.

During his tenure as a graduate student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Dr. Dix has developed and taught several classes within the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.  His teaching experience involved guiding students in learning basic circuits for both electrical engineers and other engineering disciplines as well as basic digital circuit design.  While teaching, Dr. Dix developed his configurable, low power analog neural network that is the primary focus of his Ph.D. research.  He currently is an Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where he is continuing his research and teaching interests in academia while expanding his research thrusts into RF and extreme environment applications.

Kristin Kovach

Bio coming soon.

Matthew Leftwich

Bio coming soon.

H. Alan Mantooth

Ph.D., P.E., FIEEE

Alan Mantooth is the Executive Director. He has 24 years of academic experience in addition to eight years in industry. He has served in several leadership positions in both industry and academe, and currently serves as Founding Director for the Center for GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems (GRAPES) and Deputy Director for the NSF Engineering Research Center for Power Optimization in Electro-Thermal Systems (POETS). He is the Director of the UA Power Group, a team of 16 faculty, over 100 graduate students, and over a dozen full-time technical and administrative staff.

After returning to academe he has built a research group of 25 students, on average, with research expenditures of approximately $5M a year. Since its inception in 2005, he has served as the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission’s (NCREPT) Executive Director and has overseen its research and building program.

Dr. Mantooth has published over 550 refereed publications in CAD, modeling, and electronic design and packaging, as well as three books. He is an IEEE Fellow, has served on the IEEE PELS Advisory Committee since 2004, is a former President of the IEEE Power Electronics Society, and is currently serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Open Journal of Power Electronics.

Joe Mendiola

Joseph Mendiola enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and entered active duty on August 27, 1997, as an Aircraft Armament Systems Apprentice. He attended Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and Advanced Technical Training at Sheppard AFB, Texas.

During his military career he was assigned to numerous units and leadership positions ranging from an Aircraft Mechanic, Quality Assurance Inspector, Maintenance Trainer, Flightline Expediter, Maintenance Section Chief and Production Superintendent.

With his extensive knowledge and experience on various fighter jets (A-10 Thunderbolt, F-16 Falcon, F-15 Eagle, and MQ-9 Reaper) and flight test projects, he was hand-selected to stand up the F-35 Integrated Task Force at the Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California.

His final assignment was as F-16 Production Superintendent, 416th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, Edwards AFB, California, where he led 331 personnel in the daily operations and maintenance of 33 aircraft. With over 20 years of dedicated service, Joseph retired honorably in 2017.

After retirement, he joined the JT4 team of highly skilled scientific, engineering, technical, and support personnel to provide hands-on training and mentorship for real-world Department of Defense projects.

Tanner Rice

Greg Salamo

Gregory J. Salamo holds the Basore Chair in Nanotechnology and Innovation. He received the Ph.D. in physics from City University of New York in 1973, where he also worked as an intern student at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey from 1968 to 1973.  His postdoctoral work was at the Institute of Optics of University of Rochester in New York from 1973 to 1975.  He joined the faculty of the University of Arkansas in January of 1975, where he is now Distinguished Professor of Physics and the Basore Professor in Nanotechnology and Innovation.  He has carried out research in the areas of optical spatial solitons, quantum optics, and the optical properties of semiconductors.

His research is currently focused on growing III-V and group IV semiconductors and ferroelectrics using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).  He has published about 600 papers in referred journals, given numerous contributed and invited talks, contributed several conference proceedings and book chapters, and is editor of Springer Lecture Notes in Nanoscience. He also pursues the development of interdisciplinary research and education through the establishment of a new MS/Ph.D. degree program first called Micro Electronics-Photonics but now Material Science and Engineering, which is now the home of over 80 graduate students and provides greater career opportunities for students and faculty in the sciences.  He has also started new laboratory courses in Laser Physics, Quantum Optics, Nonlinear Optics, Optic Communications, Optical Properties of Solids, and Nanoscale Fabrication and Imaging, each with separate NSF Awards. He is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America and the American Physical Society and won the UA Baum Award for Teaching, the most prestigious UA award made to one faculty member each year. He was also the 2009 Case Professor of the Year.

Thomas White

Ph.D.

Thomas White received his PhD in Microelectronics and Photonics (now Material Science & Engineering) from the University of Arkansas, a Master’s in Microelectronics and Photonics from the University of Arkansas, a Bachelor degree in Physics from Henderson State University, and a Bachelor degree in Marketing Management and Transportation and Logistics from the University of Arkansas.

Thomas previously worked in SiC manufacturing and R&D at XFAB Texas, where he was both a Process Development Engineer and the Director of WBG Research and Development. Thomas focuses on the MUSiC facility specifications, toolset, and the processes for current and future needs.