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Susan Hagness

Susan Hagness

Department Chair, Philip Dunham Reed Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Maria Stuchly Professor of Electrical Engineering
gscholar website
lab website

My group’s research spans computational and experimental applied electromagnetics, with an emphasis on bioelectromagnetics. Applied electromagnetics is playing a pivotal role in the development of advanced technologies that address society’s challenges across a broad spectrum of humanitarian applications. We focus our work on cross-disciplinary problems that are extremely interesting and challenging from an academic perspective and fundamentally important from a societal perspective. Innovations that leverage the interactions of electromagnetic waves with human and plant tissue are at the heart of our research on both diagnostic and therapeutic applications in medicine and short-range remote sensing applications in agriculture..

Our work is inherently multi-disciplinary and collaborative within and beyond electrical engineering. Our basic research activities are conducted primarily in Engineering Hall (3415 EH and 3559 EH). Our clinically oriented research has been conducted on site at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, and our smart-ag research has been conducted out in the field, quite literally. Past and current research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute), National Science Foundation, DARPA, Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Wisconsin Cranberry Board, and industry.

Department

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Contact

2420, Engineering Hall
1415 Engineering Dr
Madison, WI
p: (608) 265-5739

Featured news

An electrifying discovery may help doctors deliver more effective gene therapies

April 30, 2024

For stressed-out grad students, mindfulness makes big difference

March 22, 2023
View more articles with Susan Hagness

  • bioelectromagnetics
  • computational electromagnetics
  • dielectric spectroscopy
  • FDTD theory and applications, including multi-physics solvers
  • microwave diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for biological and medical applications
  • microwave ablation antennas and systems
  • microwave thermoacoustics
  • microwave inverse scattering
  • microwave breast imaging
  • STEM outreach

Affiliated Departments

  • 2024 Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), Maria Stuchly Professorship of Electrical Engineering
  • 2022 American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), Fellow
  • 2022 National Academy of Inventors (NAI), Fellow
  • 2021 College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Equity and Diversity Award
  • 2021 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Fellow
  • 2018 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society, Distinguished Lecturer
  • 2018 College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Byron Bird Award for Excellence in a Research Publication
  • 2018 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Vilas Associate Award
  • 2017 Women Faculty Mentoring Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Slesinger Award for Excellence in Mentoring
  • 2017 Propagation Finalist (one of five) at EuCAP 2017, Best Paper Award (Nominated)
  • 2015 Royal Physiographic Society of Lund, Sweden, Sven Berggren Prize
  • 2014 Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) Academic Leadership Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Fellow
  • 2014 College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Benjamin Smith Reynolds Award for Excellence in Teaching Engineers
  • 2014 Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), Innovation Award Finalist (one of six) (Nominated)
  • 2013 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowship
  • 2011 Graduate School, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Kellett Mid-Career Award
  • 2011 Physics in Medicine and Biology, Physics in Medicine and Biology Citations Prize
  • 2011 Physics in Medicine and Biology, Rotblat Medal
  • 2009 UW System, Alliant Energy Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award
  • 2009 IEEE, Fellow
  • 2009 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowship
  • 2008 Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Philip D. Reed Professorship
  • 2007 IEEE, Mac E. Van Valkenburg Early Career Teaching Award
  • 2007 IEEE, Trans. Biomedical Engineering Outstanding Paper Award
  • 2005 Theta Student Chapter of Eta Kappa Nu, Honorary Member
  • 2005 International Union of Radio Science (URSI), Issac Koga Gold Medal
  • 2004 IEEE, Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Early Career Achievement Award
  • 2004 Teaching Academy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Fellow
  • 2003 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Emil Steiger Distinguished Teaching Award (Chancellor-level award)
  • 2003 College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Grainger Electrical and Computer Engineering Junior Faculty Fellowship
  • 2002 USNC/URSI, Henry G. Booker Fellowship Award
  • 2002 TR100, Young Innovator Award
  • 2001 National Academy of Engineering, Participant, National Academy of Engineering’s 7th Annual Symposium on Frontiers of Engineering
  • 2000 Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Gerald Holdridge Excellence in Teaching Award
  • 2000 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowship
  • 2000 UW-Madison Kappa Eta Kappa Electrical Engineering Fraternity, Honorary Member
  • 2000 National Science Foundation, NSF CAREER Award
  • 2000 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)
  • 1999 URSI, Young Scientist Award
  • 1998 IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation , 3rd Prize Award
  • 1998 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northwestern University, Best Dissertation Award
  • 1997 McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University, Royal E. Cabell Fellowship
  • 1997 IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Student Paper Competition, Finalist
  • 1997 Searle Center for Teaching Excellence, Northwestern University, Teaching Assistant Fellow
  • 1993 National Science Foundation, NSF Graduate Fellowship
  • 1993 Northwestern University, Tau Beta Pi Spencer Fellow
  • 1993 AT&T Bell Labs, AT&T Bell Labs Graduate Research Program for Women Grant Award (declined) (Nominated)
  • 1993 McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University, Walter P. Murphy Fellowship

  • Yao, Y., Holdcraft, R. W., Hagness, S., & Booske, J. H. (2024). Electric pulse exposure reduces AAV8 dosage required to transduce HepG2 cells. Plos one, 19(4), e0298866.
  • Evans, A. L., Buehler, D., Schulte, J. J., McCarthy, D. P., & Hagness, S. (2024). Microwave dielectric properties of normal, fibroelastotic, and malignant human lung tissue. Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express, 10(5), 055027.
  • Roper, C. J., Hagness, S., & Ma, C. (2024). TEM Cell With a High-Transparency Aperture for Homogeneous Microwave Absorption and Real-Time Viewing of Thermoelastic Expansion of Tissue. IEEE Journal of Electromagnetics, RF and Microwaves in Medicine and Biology.
  • Evans, A. L., Ma, C., & Hagness, S. (2023). Accurate prediction of measured microwave-induced thermoacoustic signals via multiphysics simulations augmented with an acoustic detection system transfer function. IEEE Journal on Multiscale and Multiphysics Computational Techniques, 8, 306--313.
  • Crone, W. C., Kesebir, P., Hays, B., Mirgain, S. A., Davidson, R. J., & Hagness, S. (2023). Cultivating well-being in engineering graduate students through mindfulness training. Plos one, 18(3), e0281994.
  • Evans, A. L., Liu, R. L., Ma, C., & Hagness, S. (2023). The Evolution of Microwave-Induced Thermoacoustic Signals Generated During Pulsed Microwave Ablation in Bovine Liver. IEEE Journal of Electromagnetics, RF and Microwaves in Medicine and Biology, 7(3), 273--280.
  • Haufler, A. F., Booske, J. H., & Hagness, S. (2022). Microwave sensing for estimating cranberry crop yield: A pilot study using simulated canopies and field measurement testbeds. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 60, 1--11.
  • Evans, A. L., Ma, C., & Hagness, S. (2022). Microwave-induced thermoacoustic signal characteristics in a dynamic temperature environment. Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express, 8(3), 035020.
  • Mohtashami, Y., Behdad, N., & Hagness, S. (2021). Ex vivo performance of a flexible microwave ablation antenna. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 68(5), 1680--1689.
  • Evans, A. L., Sawicki, J. F., Luyen, H., Mohtashami, Y., Behdad, N., & Hagness, S. (2021). Feasibility study of microsecond pulsed microwave ablation using a minimally invasive antenna. IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, 20(4), 627--631.

  • 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 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 790 - Master's Research (Summer 2024)
  • E C E 990 - Dissertator's Research (Summer 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 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Fall 2023)
  • E C E 990 - Dissertator's Research (Fall 2023)
  • E C E 790 - Master's Research (Summer 2023)
  • E C E 990 - Dissertator's Research (Summer 2023)
  • INTEGSCI 299 - Independent Study (Summer 2023)