Behdad honored for innovations in frequency-selective surfaces

On March 13, 2025, Dean Ian Robertson held an event to recognize engineering faculty and staff for outstanding contributions. Nader Behdad, McFarland-Bascom Professor in electrical and computer engineering, received the Byron Bird Award for Excellence in a Research Publication.

Over seven years, Behdad and his students authored eight papers that have changed how we understand and design tiny devices that control electromagnetic waves. The series begins with foundational theoretical work that describes a revolutionary approach to designing miniaturized-element frequency-selective surfaces. It progresses through developments in practical applications of those surfaces, and culminates in demonstrating transformative applications.

The papers themselves have garnered more than 1,800 citations, while the research has yielded eight issued patents and three more pending. In 2013, Intel licensed several of those in a confidential licensing agreement. And organizations including Boeing Aerospace and Defense, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, and the European Space Agency have applied Behdad’s frequency-selective surfaces in areas such as aerospace, automotive, defense and communications.