Aaron D. Franklin is an American electrical engineer, nanotechnology researcher, and professor. He is the Addy Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Chemistry at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

, where he also serves as Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the

Pratt School of Engineering The Duke University Pratt School of Engineering is the engineering school of Duke University, a private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. The school was created by the Board of Trustees at Duke University as the Coll ...

Education

Franklin earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering with a minor in communication from

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

in 2004. He began his undergraduate studies at

Mesa Community College Mesa Community College (MCC) is a Public college, public community college in Mesa, Arizona. It is the largest of the 10 community colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District, the largest community college district in the Unite ...

before transferring to Arizona State. He received a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

in 2008, where he was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.

Career

Franklin began his scientific career at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, where he was a research scientist from 2008–2014. He joined Duke University in 2014, where he was appointed associate professor with tenure in the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and Chemistry. He later held the James L. and Elizabeth M. Vincent Associate Professorship (2018–2020) and became the Addy Distinguished Professor in 2020. At Duke, Franklin has held several administrative positions. He became Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at the Pratt School of Engineering in 2023, after serving as Associate Dean for Doctoral Education (2021–2023) and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of ECE (2017–2021). Franklin was the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Tyrata, a tire tread depth sensor company, from 2017 until its acquisition by

Bridgestone is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi (18891976) in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of (), meaning ...

in 2023. He holds over 50 issued patents, primarily in the fields of nanotechnology and electronic devices.

Honors and recognition

* Elected Fellow of the

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is an American 501(c)(3) public charity professional organization for electrical engineering, electronics engineering, and other related disciplines. The IEEE has a corporate office ...

(IEEE) in 2024, for contributions to transistor scaling and carbon nanotube electronics * Elected Fellow of the

National Academy of Inventors The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) is a US non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging inventors in academia, following the model of the National Academies of the United States. It was founded at the University of South Florida in 201 ...

(NAI) in 2024 * Mesa Community College Hall of Fame honoree (2022) * Capers & Marion McDonald Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research, Duke University (2020) * Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring, Duke University (2021)

Personal life

Franklin joined

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

as a young teenager. He served as a full-time missionary for the Church in Atlanta, Georgia, from 1998 to 2000. He is also the author of two religious books: ''The Spiritual Physics of Light: How We See, Feel, and Know Truth'' and ''What Is Truth? Navigating a World of Faith, Science, and Noise''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Aaron D. American electrical engineers American inventors Duke University faculty Purdue University alumni Arizona State University alumni Fellows of the IEEE Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors Nanotechnologists 21st-century American engineers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people