Why join my group?
I will boast here. My group consists of a collection of excellent students who will end up succeeding at the highest levels. I am very proud of them. I focus on developing a skill set that will be in very high demand after you graduate. The culture in my group is very cross-supportive, so you will never be on your own. I also put a very high priority on providing support, financial and otherwise, for the students within my group.

What am I looking for in Research Assistants (RA)?
As well as stong indicators of potential for success, I prefer to have students who have built at least some of the skills they will need in their work. Relevant courses include the following: ECE 546 VLSI Design, ECE 733 Digital Electronics, ECE 520 ASIC Design, ECE 744 Interconenct and Packaging, ECE 738/739 IC Tech and Fab, ECE 733 Digital Circuits, ECE 711 Analog Circuits. Note, I am not suggesting that you have to take all of these before you join my group, but my projects tend to rely on one or more of these. 546 is kind of the "core" course in all of this. Most of my projects requires some of the skills taught in that course. I have a strong preference for innovators. Can you determine, develop and verify novel high-payoff solutions to complex problems?

Usually I am looking for PhD students rather than MS students for RA positions. Most projects are of a duration and complexity that they are not well suited for an MS thesis. However, I do often get shorter-term projects that I do recruit MS students for.

Other Opportunities

I often have a number of MS students working with me who are unpaid. Typically, these students start a thesis after completing a course with me.

For US Residents
If you are a US Citizen or Permament Resident, we will give you preference. Sometimes, we will pay for you to visit here so you can decide on NCSU as a grad school. You also have priority for paid positions, whether teaching, serviceor research. Feel free to contact me for details. Foreign students might consider this "bias" unfair, but we are supported mainly by US taxpayer funds. Please note the FAQ below "How do you get a Research Assistantship from me?"

For Foreign Applicants (though parts of this apply to everyone)
For good reason, a US graduate degree is very valuable. Unfortunately, that means that we get over 2,000 foreign applicants a year. I get at least 5 emails a day from foreign applicants. I will always try to reply to such letters but the generic "Dear Professor, I am interested in your area" letters get a simple reply. A thoughtful letter gets a more specific (but not a long) reply. Of those 2000+ applicants, the Department admits maybe 200 students, and offers financial aid to maybe 50. I accept around 5 new research assistants per year, but rarely will I recruit a research assistant who has not taken a class here. Don't be discouraged. The good still get admitted.

Please note that in total, I get over 100 emails a day, so can rarely answer questions requiring long answers.

How do you get admitted? Generally, we are looking for quality, as measured by current school, current grades, GREs, supporting letters, etc. There is some preference to students who show a genuine interest to getting a Ph.D. You can express that interest by irrevocably applying for the Ph.D. program and clearly expressing why you want to do a PhD.

How do you get a Teaching Assistantship? Be the cream of the crop of the above plus get the attention of a Professor who is very interested in you.

How do you get a Research Assistantship from me? Frankly, I prefer to recruit RAs from students who are already here. but occassionly (rarely) I recruit from outside. The basic reason for this recruiting approach relates to the mechanisms whereby I obtain research funding. Research funding works like this. I write a proposal to a Federal Agency or a company. They decide to fund me. I have to start work within a month or two of hearing a response. Thus, I commence this work with students who are here, typically students with whom I have some form of working relationship. This system does not lend itself well to recruiting students wanting to start in 6-12 months.

How do you get me to recommend you for a TA? You have to really spark my interest as a potential RA. There is no formula. Contact me. If I recommond you, you will get a high priority for an RA in my group later if you prove you are motivated and have ahigh potential for innovation.

Should you consider coming without support? Be careful. If you are a non-US resident only interested in pursuing an MS degree your chances of securing an RA or TA are low. Other sources of support include service positions in other Departments (e.g. programming tasks). Some students rely on obtaining a Coop or intern position at a company to finance a degee. Right now the demand for Coops and Interns is relatively high. It is much easier to get NCSU approval for a summer position than a Coop held during semester. Though plenty of these positions exist, there are no gauarantees. There is a chance you will have to support the entire cost of an MS degree from your own resources.