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Nader Behdad

Nader Behdad

McFarland-Bascom Professor

Nader Behdad (S’98-M’06-SM’12-F’17) received the B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology in 2000 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from University of Michigan – Ann Arbor in 2003 and 2006, respectively. Currently he is the McFarland-Bascom Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research expertise is in the area of applied electromagnetics with particular focus on electrically small antennas, phased-array antennas, bio-electromagnetics, microwave ablation, microwave periodic structures, and high-power microwaves. He has 23 U.S. patents in these areas. Dr. Behdad has served as a consultant on topics related to designing antennas and phased arrays to industry. He has also served as a consultant and an expert witness for different U.S. law firms on topics related to intellectual property disputes as well as cell phone record analysis and historical cell site analysis. Over the years, his research has been sponsored by various U.S. Federal agencies including the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, National Science Foundation, and the Defense Health Agency among others.

Dr. Behdad has graduated 29 Ph.D. and 15 M.S. students so far and served as the research advisor of 33 other post-doctoral research fellows and visiting scholars. He is the recipient of the 2025 John Kraus Antenna Award, the 2021 H. A. Wheeler Prize Paper Award, the 2014 R. W. P. King Prize Paper Award, and the 2012 Piergiorgio L. E. Uslenghi Letters Prize Paper Award of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society. He also received the Byron Bird Award for Excellence in a Research Publication, Harvey D. Spangler Faculty Scholar Award, the H. I. Romnes Faculty Award, and the Vilas Associates Award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2011, Dr. Behdad received the CAREER award from the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Young Investigator Award from the United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the Young Investigator Award from the United States Office of Naval Research. He is serving as a member of the Fellow Election Committee of IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society and served as the 2020 chair of the paper awards committee of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society. He also served as an Associate Editor for IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters (2011-2015) and as the co-chair of the technical program committee of the 2012 IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation and USNC/URSI National Radio Science Meeting.

Department

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Contact

3438, Engineering Hall
1415 Engineering Dr
Madison, WI

  • PhD 2006, Univ. of Michigan
  • MS 2003, Univ. of Michigan
  • BS 2000, Sharif University of Technology

  • Applied Electromagnetics
  • Antennas
  • Electrically Small Antennas
  • Phased-Array Systems
  • High-Power Microwaves
  • Vacuum Electronics
  • Microwave Medical Applications

  • 2025 College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Byron Bird Award for Excellence in a Research Publication
  • 2025 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society, John Kraus Antenna Award
  • 2021 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society, H. A. Wheeler Applications Prize Paper Award
  • 2019 University of Wisconsin-Madison, McFarland-Bascom Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • 2017 IEEE Fellow
  • 2016 University of Wisconsin-Madison, H.I. Romnes Faculty Fellow
  • 2016 College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Harvey D. Spangler Faculty Scholar
  • 2016 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education, Vilas Associate Award
  • 2016 National Academies’ 4th Arab-American Frontiers of Science, Engineering, and Medicine symposium, General Co-Chair
  • 2016 Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Univ. of Michigan, Rising Star Distinguished Alumni Award
  • 2015 National Academies’ 3rd Arab-American Frontiers of Science, Engineering, and Medicine symposium, Member of Organizing Committee
  • 2014 National Academies’ 2nd Arab-American Frontiers of Science, Engineering, and Medicine symposium, Invited Participant
  • 2014 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society, R. W. P. King Prize Paper Award
  • 2012 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society, Piergiorgio L. E. Uslenghi Letters Prize Paper Award
  • 2011 Air Force Office of Scientific Research, AFOSR Young Investigator Award
  • 2011 National Science Foundation, NSF CAREER Award
  • 2011 Office of Naval Research (ONR), ONR Young Investigator Award
  • 2009 United States National Committee of the International Union of Radio Science, Elected Member, Commission B (Fields and Waves)
  • 2009 Naval Research Laboratory, ONR-ASEE Senior Summer Faculty Fellowship
  • 2008 International Union of Radio Science, URSI Young Scientist Award

  • Behdad, N., Ludois, D., Mirmozafari, M., & Liben, M. (2024). A class-E, switched-mode, non-LTI electrically-small transmit antenna design for overcoming the fundamental bandwidth-efficiency product limits. In 2024 18th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP) (pp. 1–5).
  • Wu, J., Top"ozl"u, Halil,, Zhang, Z., Hajitabarmarznaki, S., Booske, J. H., & Behdad, N. (2024). Design, Fabrication, and Experimental Characterization of an Ultra-Wideband, Electronically-Reconfigurable Transmitarray Element with High Peak and Average Power Handling Capability. In 2024 United States National Committee of URSI National Radio Science Meeting (USNC-URSI NRSM) (pp. 284–284).
  • Liben, M., Mirmozafari, M., Ludois, D., & Behdad, N. (2024). Overcoming the Chu Limit Using Switched-Mode, Non-LTI, Electrically-Small Transmitting Antennas. In 2024 United States National Committee of URSI National Radio Science Meeting (USNC-URSI NRSM) (pp. 72–72).
  • Wu, J., Top"ozl"u, Halil,, Zhang, Z., Hajitabarmarznaki, S., Booske, J. H., & Behdad, N. (2024). A 1-bit, Electronically Reconfigurable Transmitarray Element With 3: 1 Bandwidth and High-Power-Handling Capability. IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science.
  • Afsari, A., Van Veen, B., & Behdad, N. (2024). An Electronically Reconfigurable Matching and Decoupling Network for Two-Element HF Antenna Arrays. IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.
  • Strachen, N., Booske, J. H., & Behdad, N. (2024). Class-E, Active Electrically-Small Antenna for High-Power Wideband Transmission at the High-Frequency (HF) Band. arXiv preprint arXiv:2404.03468.
  • Forbes, P., Top"ozl"u, Halil,, Behdad, N., & Booske, J. H. (2024). Forward Space Charge Wave Amplifiers Using Lossy Backward Circuit Waves. IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science.
  • Zhao, J., Qiao, S., Booske, J. H., & Behdad, N. (2024). Low Probability of Intercept/Detect (LPI/LPD) Secure Communications Using Antenna Arrays Employing Rapid Sidelobe Time Modulation. IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, 72(8), 6448--6463.
  • Mirmozafari, M., Behdad, N., & Booske, J. (2024). Sensitivity analysis of multipactor susceptibility zone to variations in secondary electron yield values. Physics of Plasmas, 31(2).
  • Hajitabarmarznaki, S., Top"ozl"u, Halil,, Wu, J., Honari, M. M., Booske, J. H., & Behdad, N. (2024). Wideband, Electronically Reconfigurable, 0$^{}$$$backslash$circ$$ $/90$^{}$$$backslash$circ$$ $ Phase Shifter for High-Power Microwave Phased Arrays. IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science.

  • E C E 222 - Electrodynamics I (Spring 2025)
  • E C E 399 - Independent Study (Spring 2025)
  • E C E 790 - Master's Research (Spring 2025)
  • E C E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Spring 2025)
  • E C E 990 - Dissertator's Research (Spring 2025)
  • E C E 399 - Independent Study (Fall 2024)
  • E C E 740 - Electromagnetic Theory (Fall 2024)
  • E C E 790 - Master's Research (Fall 2024)
  • E C E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Fall 2024)
  • E C E 990 - Dissertator's Research (Fall 2024)
  • E C E 399 - Independent Study (Summer 2024)
  • E C E 790 - Master's Research (Summer 2024)
  • E C E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Summer 2024)
  • E C E 990 - Dissertator's Research (Summer 2024)
  • INTEGSCI 299 - Independent Study (Summer 2024)
  • E C E 399 - Independent Study (Spring 2024)
  • E C E 790 - Master's Research (Spring 2024)
  • E C E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Spring 2024)
  • E C E 990 - Dissertator's Research (Spring 2024)
  • E C E 399 - Independent Study (Fall 2023)
  • E C E 790 - Master's Research (Fall 2023)
  • E C E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Fall 2023)
  • E C E 990 - Dissertator's Research (Fall 2023)
  • E C E 399 - Independent Study (Summer 2023)
  • E C E 790 - Master's Research (Summer 2023)
  • E C E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Summer 2023)
  • E C E 990 - Dissertator's Research (Summer 2023)