Innovative Mechatronics Leader Named Head of UT Dallas Department of Systems Engineering

 
Dr. Reza Moheimani, a leader in control engineering and high-precision mechatronics research, was named the head of the Department of Systems Engineering at The University of Texas at Dallas.

Moheimani’s current research interests include microelectromechanical systems, also known as MEMS, scanning probe microscopy, nanopositioning and atomically precise manufacturing, which involves developing technologies for the process of building new materials and solid-state quantum devices, atom by atom. He is a professor of systems engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and holder of the James Von Ehr Distinguished Chair in Science and Technology at UT Dallas. He previously served as an associate dean for academic affairs in the Jonsson School.

Since joining UT Dallas in 2015, Moheimani has built a multidisciplinary research program, secured substantial funding to support his work, graduated doctoral students, trained postdoctoral researchers and established strong collaborations with industry and national laboratories.

In 2017 his team discovered a method to prevent the tip of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) from crashing into a sample during scanning, solving a long-standing problem with the instrument. In 2022, they developed a technique that enhances control and precision in atomically precise manufacturing that resulted in a patent for their approach.

“This is a truly pivotal time for us in the Department of Systems Engineering and the Jonsson School, as we embark on a significant expansion of both our teaching and research programs,” Moheimani said. “I am committed to working closely with my colleagues in the department and the school leadership to ensure this growth is successful and positions us toward becoming one of the leading systems engineering departments in the nation.”

Starting this fall, the department will offer a bachelor’s degree in addition to its master’s degree in systems engineering and management.

Moheimani is also a leader of the advanced manufacturing research thrust, a Jonsson School strategic initiative that positions the school to generate $100 million in research expenditures by 2028.

After conducting a national search for the new department head, school leaders decided Moheimani was the best choice for the role. His term as department head started Sept. 1.

“I was impressed with Reza’s vision for the Department of Systems Engineering, highlighting its potential for growth, interdisciplinary collaboration and national recognition,” said Dr. Stephanie G. Adams, professor of systems engineering, dean of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair at UT Dallas. “He envisions the department evolving into a top-ranked, nationally recognized department with robust undergraduate and graduate programs, cutting-edge research and interdisciplinary innovation. Reza has had a distinguished career spanning Australia and the U.S. He has implemented faculty development initiatives, overseen research centers and served in editorial leadership roles.”

Moheimani joined the University in 2015 from the University of Newcastle, Australia, and has since served as the director of the Laboratory for Dynamics and Control of Nanosystems (LCDN). Since Moheimani’s arrival at UT Dallas, he has received several significant recognitions including, most recently, the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) Mechatronic Systems Lifetime Achievement Award during the summer of 2025 at the IFAC Symposia on Mechatronic Systems and Robotics held in Paris, France. Moheimani is one of the very few individuals worldwide to have received two IFAC major awards — the Nathaniel B. Nichols Medal in 2014 and the Industrial Achievement Award in 2023. Conferred on a triennial basis, these awards are among the most competitive recognitions in the field.

Research Success

Moheimani has distinguished himself as a leading researcher and educator at UT Dallas, securing more than $12 million in research funding and working with local companies to advance technology commercialization. He has graduated 20 PhD students and  has an extensive publication record of over 450 refereed journal and conference papers. His work has been cited more than 18,000 times with an h-index of 68. He sets a strong example for colleagues across the Jonsson School through his commitment to excellence in both teaching and research, and he is dedicated to building on these strengths to elevate the department of systems engineering to the next level.

A significant portion of Moheimani’s research funding has supported his work on MEMS and solid-state quantum device fabrication. His laboratory has focused on several key areas, including the development of MEMS nanopositioners for high-throughput STM-based atomically precise manufacturing, on-chip atomic force microscopy, video-rate scanning probe microscopy and feedback-controlled MEMS force sensing.

With support from the UT Dallas, he established the Center for Atomically Precise Fabrication of Solid-State Quantum Devices (Quantum Center). The center is dedicated to advancing the science and engineering of materials and devices at the atomic scale and aims to develop fabrication techniques that enable next-generation solid-state quantum devices with capabilities beyond conventional computing.

In 2022, Moheimani delivered the prestigious Nyquist Lecture at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Dynamic Systems & Control Division annual conference. He was also recognized the same year with the IFAC Industrial Achievement Award.

Moheimani established significant collaborations with Zyvex Labs, a Richardson, TX company at the forefront of atomically precise manufacturing. Among the outcomes of this partnership was a joint award from the U.S. Department of Energy, through which Moheimani received a $1.1 million grant and Zyvex Labs received a matching $1.1 million grant to advance the commercialization of quantum device fabrication technologies.

In 2018, he received the Best Paper Prize from the IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology for his research paper describing his work on multifrequency atomic force microscopy (AFM). Moheimani is the only researcher to receive this recognition twice, having first been honored for a manuscript published in the journal in 2006.

In addition to his work as a researcher and educator, Moheimani has also been named fellow of several professional societies, served as editor-in-chief of Mechatronics, contributed to the editorial boards of multiple scientific journals and authored a series of research monographs. He began his tenure at UT Dallas with a DARPA grant under the Atoms to Product program.

At the University of Newcastle, Australia, Moheimani founded the Laboratory for Dynamics and Control of Nanosystems. During this time, he collaborated with researchers at IBM Zurich Research Labs in Switzerland to develop feedback control design methods for a novel microelectromechanical data storage system that encoded digital information as nanoscale indentations on a polymer surface. This collaboration produced a control system capable of achieving a positioning accuracy of 0.25 nm —comparable to the diameter of a single atom — which set a world record for data storage density at the time. In recognition of this work, he and his IBM collaborators received the IEEE Control System Technology Award.

Moheimani also received the Nathaniel B. Nichols Medal from IFAC for “fundamental contributions in systems science and control theory of direct relevance to engineering practice in high precision mechatronic systems” and another IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology Outstanding Paper Award in 2007.

He is also a fellow of four professional organizations including IEEE, IFAC, the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) and the Institute of Physics in the United Kingdom.

A Vision of Growth

Previous head Dr. Stephen Yurkovich, professor and Louis L. Beecherl Jr. Distinguished Chair in Engineering was recruited to UT Dallas to build the master’s degree in systems engineering program, then was named head once the Department of Systems Engineering was established in 2012.

The program has continued to grow at a steady rate through fast-track and conventional Master of Science in Systems Engineering and Management degrees developed in collaboration with UT Dallas’ Naveen Jindal School of Management. Moheimani and other department leaders envision taking the department to the next level, and he says that he will begin with recruiting new faculty to build the program.

“My immediate focus will be on working closely with the department leadership and administrative staff to ensure a seamless and effective transition of leadership,” Moheimani said. “Following this, my top priority will be the strategic recruitment of exceptional new faculty members to support the significant growth we anticipate in both our undergraduate and graduate programs in the coming years. We aim to bring in talent that will enhance our current strengths and open new avenues for research and education.”

Moheimani notes that as the department expands to include a bachelor’s program, it will continue to build its existing master’s degree program in systems engineering and management while exploring other master’s program additions or coursework related to in-demand fields such as functional safety. The bachelor’s program is also intended to allow students to tailor their degree programs through selecting a secondary field of study.

“Our new bachelor’s degree program in systems engineering has been meticulously structured, with its coursework designed to provide a first-rate, comprehensive education,” Moheimani said. “The strong enrollment numbers for our inaugural cohort indicate high interest among incoming students. The master’s program has been a remarkable success story for well over a decade. It consistently provides students from diverse engineering backgrounds with an advanced degree and excellent employment prospects in industry. As our undergraduate program expands and graduates seek further specialization, we anticipate a natural growth in interest for our master’s program.”

Moheimani adds that he wants to continue expanding the department’s collaborations.

“Given that systems engineering is inherently a multidisciplinary field, my vision is for our department to emerge as a central hub for multidisciplinary collaboration within the Jonsson School,” Moheimani said. “We will actively foster an environment where our faculty engage in dynamic, collaborative research with colleagues from other departments and with industry partners.”