UCSB College of Engineering

by Wayne Drash - CNN Contributor Shuji Nakamura already transformed the world once. His invention of blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) changed everything about our daily lives. Computers, phones, big screens, traffic lights and electronic billboards light up because of his invention. Nakamura earned the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014, along with two other Japanese scientists, Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano, for their contributions to his LED breakthrough.

UC Santa Barbara distinguished professor and Nobel Laureate Shuji Nakamura has received an honorary degree from the University of Oxford, one of the world’s most prestigious academic honors. Oxford conferred the degree on Nakamura during its annual Encaenia ceremony on June 24, recognizing him among nine distinguished honorands whose achievements span science, culture, politics, the arts and sport.

Two faculty members from The Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering at UC Santa Barbara, Jonathan Klamkin and Sriram Krishnamoorthy, have been recognized by the Compound Semiconductor Week (CSW) Award Committee, earning international honors for contributions that continue to shape the future of advanced semiconductor technologies.

In fall 2025, the University of California launched the Early Career Faculty Research Awards, offering researchers a $50,000 award to support meaningful work at the beginning stages of a faculty member’s research. Each of the ten UC campuses could nominate up to ten researchers for consideration.

Matthew Helgeson is good at shooting neutrons through things — so good, in fact, that he was recently named one of eleven Fellows in the 2026 cohort of the Neutron Scattering Society of America (NSSA). The UC Santa Barbara chemical engineering professor was recognized, according to the NSSA announcement, for his “research and service to the field of neutron scattering, especially dealing with the thermodynamics and dynamics of soft materials,” and for innovations in that area.

Proteins, made of chains of amino acids, play critical roles in the body, whether building bone and muscle or supporting the immune system. While many proteins have a consistent folding pattern that keeps their 3D structure stable, others are more malleable. In some cases, these more malleable proteins — called intrinsically disordered proteins —  fold themselves to respond quickly to their environment, allowing them to switch rapidly between roles in the cell.

As semiconductor manufacturing expands across the United States, one challenge continues to shadow the industry's growth: finding workers with the specialized skills needed to enter the field. At UC Santa Barbara, Demis D. John saw that challenge up close.

Technology companies need talented, highly educated employees who can contribute from day one and grow into leadership roles over time. For their part, students seek meaningful career paths that will allow them to put their education, knowledge, skills, and experience to good and rewarding use. Most universities have programs to engage with industry and serve the multiple topics of overlapping interest, including research, education, and shared facilities.

Graduating seniors in each undergraduate degree program in UC Santa Barbara’s Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering select one Outstanding Faculty Award recipient every spring, honoring faculty members whose teaching, mentorship, and dedication have made a lasting impact on their undergraduate experience.

From guiding capstone design teams and leading laboratory sections to mentoring students through difficult coursework and long nights of problem-solving, five graduate students in UC Santa Barbara’s Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering have been selected by the Class of 2026 as Outstanding Teaching Assistants (TAs).