[UCI-CalIT2] Albert F. Yee named UCI division director of Cal-(IT)2

[Eileen J. ALGAZE]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE

ALBERT F. YEE NAMED UCI DIVISION DIRECTOR OF THE
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS 
AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - CAL-(IT)²
 
Irvine, Calif., Sept. 23, 2003 - Albert F. Yee, an internationally renowned materials science professor, researcher and engineer, has been named director of the UC Irvine Division of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, Cal-(IT)2.

Yee's appointment completes the leadership team of Cal-(IT)2, which is jointly operated with UC San Diego. He also will hold a faculty position in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering.

"I look forward to joining this fast-growing institute and one of the highest-ranked public universities in the United States," Yee said. "As director, my primary goal will be to enhance partnerships between academia and industry, assuring that Cal-(IT)2 continues to be a model of collaboration, as well as premier cross-disciplinary center."

Yee brings 32 years of professional and academic experience to the institute and university. His research focuses on the physical and mechanical properties of polymers and soft materials, particularly as applied to nanotechnology, and his inventions in the field have led to two U.S. patents. His work is especially significant for developing complex micro- and nano-electronic and biomedical devices, which integrate many layers and channels of different materials. He intends to continue this research, enhancing Cal-(IT)²'s strength in materials and devices.

Yee comes to UCI from the University of Michigan , where he is a professor in the departments of materials science and engineering, macromolecular science and engineering, and chemical engineering, and a former chair of materials science and engineering (1994-2000). While on leave from Michigan, Yee served as the director of the Institute of Materials Research & Engineering in Singapore.

"Albert Yee is an international leader in his field," said Larry Smarr, director of Cal-(IT)2 and professor of computer science and engineering at UCSD. "His experience as director of the Singapore institute - similar in complexity to Cal-(IT)2  - is especially critical to our future success. With Yee and Ramesh Rao, UCSD division director, we now have leadership for the core layers of the institute - materials, networking and software."

Yee's career also includes more than a decade as an engineer and engineering manager at General Electric, in addition to serving an industry consultant. He was named one of the top 200 highly cited materials scientists, according to the Institute for Scientific Information, and has published more than 140 papers in scholastic journals. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and of the PMSE Division of the American Chemical Society. Yee received bachelor's and doctorate degrees in chemistry from UC Berkeley.

Yee's appointment begins Jan. 1, 2004.  He will replace William H. Parker, UCI vice chancellor for research and dean of graduate studies, who has served as UCI's interim director of Cal-(IT)2 .

About The Henry Samueli School of Engineering 
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering is comprised of nearly 3,000 students and 90 faculty in five departments: biomedical engineering, chemical engineering and materials science, civil and environmental engineering, electrical engineering and computer science, and mechanical and aerospace engineering. The school is also home to numerous research centers, including the Integrated Nanosystems Research Facility, Center for Pervasive Communications and Computing, National Fuel Cell Research Center and Center for Biomedical Engineering. It is a major participant in Cal-(IT)2. For more information, visit www.eng.uci.edu.

About Cal-(IT)2
The California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, Cal-(IT)2, is one of four institutes known as the California Institutes for Science and Innovation, funded by the state of California and industry, and based on University of California campuses. The institute was formed to extend the reach of the Internet throughout the physical world and to help ensure that California maintains its leadership in the technology marketplace. Cal-(IT)2 is a partnership between UC San Diego and UC Irvine, and teams faculty with research professionals, students and industrial partners on interdisciplinary research projects. For more information, see www.calit2.net.

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Contact:
Eileen Algaze
(949) 824-4461
ealgaze@uci.edu

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