Troy, N.Y. — Michael Shur, the Patricia W. and C. Sheldon Roberts ’48 Chaired Professor in Solid State Electronics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been promoted to fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). Shur is being recognized for his “individual responsibility, sustained achievements, and exceptional professionalism.” IET is the largest professional engineering society in Europe and the second largest of its kind in the world.

Shur is internationally recognized for his development of new materials and processes that enhance semiconductor and circuit performance, and he has pioneered efforts to create ever smaller and more cost-effective electronic and lighting technologies. He also is working to improve some of today’s most advanced consumer electronic technology, including plasma wave electronics using terahertz technology and flexible circuitry. His research to create revolutionary solid-state lighting could lead the way in achieving dramatic energy savings and better living and working conditions.

Shur is acting director of the Center for Integrated Electronics, director of the Center for Broadband Data Transport Science and Technology, and director of Rensselaer’s “Connection One” site, a National Science Foundation/University Cooperative Research Center. These centers work to research optical and electrical data technologies. 

Shur and his team also are developing new technologies for remote experimentation and distance learning. His technology allows researchers to perform measurements on semiconductor devices via the Internet, saving time and money and enabling faster creation of the next generation of advanced electronics.

Shur also is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the American Physical Society, the Electrochemical Society, the American Association for Advancement of Science, and the World Innovation Foundation. He serves as vice president of the IEEE Sensor Council, and is a former chair of the U.S. Chapter of Commission D of the International Union of Radio Science. Shur is editor-in-chief of the International Journal of High Speed Electronics and Systems and a member of the honorary editorial board of Solid State Electronics magazine. From 1990 to 1993, he served as an associate editor of IEEE Transactions.

Shur has held research or faculty positions at A.F. Ioffe Institute, Wayne State University, Oakland University, Cornell University, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, and the University of Minnesota. From 1989 to 1996, he was the John Money Professor at the University of Virginia, where he served as the director of the Applied Electrophysics Laboratories in 1996. 

Shur has authored over 1,000 technical publications; given more than 300 plenary, keynote, and invited talks and conference presentations; written, co-written, or edited 38 books and 29 book chapters and holds 35 patents on solid-state devices.

About IET
IET’s membership includes more than 150,000 engineers from around the globe. The Institution acts as a voice for its members in policy matters and helps further knowledge, learning and research in electrical, manufacturing, and systems engineering and related sciences.

Contact: Gabrielle DeMarco
Phone: (518) 276-6542
E-mail: demarg@rpi.edu