The right fit: an expert in electronics packaging advances the science of tight space

Most of us use our cell phones, smart watches and other electronic devices without giving much thought to the components and how they fit and work together. But it’s a complex problem that Markondeyaraj “Raj” Pulugurtha, associate professor at FIU’s College of Engineering and Computing and head of the Bioelectronic and Electronic Packaging Lab, has devoted his career to solving.

In the process, he has been recognized as a leading expert in the rapidly evolving fields of electronic and bioelectronic nanopackaging, wearable and implantable medical devices, antenna sensor integration and power-supply and wireless component integration.

“I was always interested in science and technology and their influence on society,” Pulugurtha said. “When you look at the PC revolution and the creation of the iPhone, you can see the impact of technology. It can be a challenge to look at the big picture, but it’s something I constantly talk to my students about. We are here to solve big problems.”

The difficulties faced by the packaging industry include fitting layers upon layers of electronic cables, chips, sensors and delicate equipment into tiny spaces and enabling them to communicate and function together. And, in the case of healthcare implantables, or devices worn on the skin, materials must be able to survive an unforgiving environment while gathering and sending data and functioning therapeutically — all without harming the body.

“Working with medical devices and health monitoring systems is exciting and there is so much potential,” he said.

Following in Pulugurtha’s footsteps are his students. Peeyush Awasthi and Anthony Giordano received first place at the 2024 Florida chapter workshop of the International Microelectronics and Packaging Society (IMAPS) for their work, “In-line monitoring and process control with mm-wave antenna sensors.” Veeru Jaiswal received third place at the meeting for his work, “Low-power magnetoelectric wireless telemetry system for multimodal sensing.”

“I come from this very interdisciplinary background,” said Jaiswel, a doctoral candidate in biomedical engineering.

“I moved from biology to engineering to nanotech. When we are working on biomedical devices, we must be able to work across disciplines. That interdisciplinary work is what Dr. Raj is known for. He also likes to put a lot of ideas out there and then give you the freedom to choose and to implement. That is important to me.”

It was also an approach that appealed to Awasthi, who served in the Indian Armed Forces as an engineer before coming to FIU for his doctoral studies.

“Studying science is okay,” he said. “But doing science is different from studying. With Dr. Raj, we have a bucket of solutions, not just one solution. Give me a problem and we can create a personalized solution.” Awasthi hopes to develop an electronic device that turns a person’s thoughts into action with no need for a keyboard or screen.

Pulugurtha has mentored and co-advised more than 40 graduate and undergraduate students, many of whom are now industry leaders or technology pioneers in the electronic packaging industry. One of those is Jose Solis Camara, a research and development electrical test engineer for Saras Micro Devices in Atlanta. The company’s embedded, integrated passive devices serve as a new power delivery solution for high-performance computers and AI/machine learning processor applications.

Camara, who graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering, said Pulugurtha introduced him to packaging in the elective class, Bioelectronic Packaging.

“I didn’t know about packaging before,” he said. “Dr. Raj was a new professor at FIU and I really enjoyed his class. I became one of the first students in his lab and he guided me through many projects. One of the things I noticed quickly about him was that he had a lot of industry connections. Through his connections, I got this job. He remains my mentor today.”

Continuing to prepare students for industry and research positions is a priority for Pulugurtha, as is the work he is most excited about today — making better wearable and implantable devices to collect real-time data, improving access to healthcare and helping to cure medical conditions.

“Teaching isn’t about reciting information,” he said. “It’s seamless collaboration. It’s the integration of disciplines. As we transform education and challenge our students to solve a problem, we impact society.”