Anhar Bhuiyan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Office: Ball Hall 327, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854
Email: anhar_bhuiyan@uml.edu
Bio: Dr. Bhuiyan is a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he leads research on semiconductor materials and devices. Before joining UMass Lowell, he earned his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 2023, where his research focused on Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition of (ultra)wide bandgap gallium oxide and related semiconductors. His current research at UMass Lowell integrates epitaxial growth, advanced characterization, thermal management, radiation effects, and device engineering of (ultra)wide bandgap semiconductors for high power electronics and deep-ultraviolet optoelectronics, with applications across energy, transportation, data center, nuclear, space and defense technologies.
Saleh Ahmed Khan
PhD Candidate, Electrical and Computer Engineering
B.S. (2023) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology)
Email: salehahmed_khan@student.uml.edu
Office: Ball Hall 310, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854
Bio: Saleh is a Ph.D. Candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UMass Lowell. He earned his B.S. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 2023, graduating with distinction. His undergraduate research focused on computational materials simulation and density functional theory, including studies of functionalized group-III nitride monolayers. He received the RISE Student Research Grant for the most prominent undergraduate thesis topic and was named to the EEE Faculty Dean’s List for academic excellence. Beyond computation, Saleh has hands-on experience in embedded systems, intelligent sensors, and robotics, serving as team lead for BUET’s Mars Rover Team, which competed internationally in the European Rover Challenge (8th place, 2022) and University Rover Challenge (2022, Utah).
Ahmed Ibreljic
PhD Candidate (Draper Scholar), Electrical and Computer Engineering
Co-advised with Prof. Stephen Lam (Chemical and Nuclear Engineering)
B.S. (UMass Boston, 2023) and M.S. (UMass Lowell, 2024) in Electrical Engineering
Email: Ahmed_Ibreljic@student.uml.edu
Office: Ball Hall 310, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854
Bio: Ahmed is a Draper Scholar and Ph.D. Candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UMass Lowell. He earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from UMass Boston (2023) and his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from UMass Lowell (2024), where he excelled in semiconductor design and optoelectronic device reliability studies. Ahmed brings hands-on expertise in epitaxial growth, cleanroom fabrication, and thin film characterization, along with prior work with AFRL on radiation-induced defect analysis and cryogenic measurements. He was selected for the highly competitive ‘Draper Scholar Program’ (2025), named to ‘BostInno’s 25 Under 25’ (2024), and his team EduX won the ‘Jack M. Wilson First to Market Award’ at the 2024 DifferenceMaker $50,000 Idea Challenge.
Stephen Margiotta
PhD Candidate, Electrical and Computer Engineering
B.S. (2020) and M.S. (2025) in Electrical and Computer Engineering (UMass Lowell)
Email: Stephen_Margiotta@student.uml.edu
Office: Ball Hall 310, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854
Bio: Stephen is a Ph.D. Candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UMass Lowell, where he also earned his B.S. in Computer Engineering (2020) and M.S. in Electrical Engineering (2025). His M.S. thesis in our group focused on crystalline NbN superconductors on GaN, with detailed studies of structural, electrical, thermal, and radiation stability. In addition to his academic work, Stephen is a Nanofabrication Process Engineer at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. He previously worked as an RF Engineer at Lockheed Martin, developing III–V MMIC packaging techniques, Ka-band transceivers, and additive manufacturing methods, and as a Software Architecture Co-op at Draper Laboratories, contributing to missile subsystem verification.
Andrew Burns
M.S. Student, Electrical Engineering
B.S. (2021) in Physics, UMass Lowell
Email: andrew_burns1@student.uml.edu
Office: Ball Hall 310, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854
Bio: Andrew joined our group as a Master’s student in Electrical Engineering at UMass Lowell, where he also earned his B.S. in Physics in 2021. Before joining the group, he worked as a DevOps Consultant at ARCAD Software and as a Platform Engineer Intern at Titanium Software. He also served as the Attitude Control Systems Team Lead for UML’s SPACE HAUC nanosatellite project, developing control algorithms and hardware-in-the-loop simulations for satellite orientation and stability, an experience that sparked his interest in radiation effects and the reliability of semiconductor devices for space electronics.
Owen Zhang
M.S Student, Electrical Engineering
B.S. (2023) in Electrical Engineering, Northeastern University
Email: Owen_Zhang1@student.uml.edu
Office: Ball Hall 310, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854
Bio: Owen joined our group as a Master’s student in Electrical Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University in 2023. Prior to joining UMass Lowell, he worked as a Distribution Design Engineer at Leidos, designing and optimizing large-scale electrical systems, and as an Electromechanical Assembly Intern at Auburn FilterSense, where he gained hands-on experience in PCB diagnostics and component reliability testing.
Rojann Jermaine Portacion
STEP Research Scholar
Class of 2028, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
UMass Lowell
Email: RojannJermaine_Portacion@student.uml.edu
Office: Ball Hall 310, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854
Bio: RJ is an undergraduate student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (Class of 2028), with additional minors in Business Administration and Mathematics. His research experience includes work in the Laboratory of Optics at UML, where he contributed to the development of a fiber-optic glucose biosensor. He has also gained hands-on experience in database management, optical fiber sensing, PCB design, and MATLAB/Arduino-based systems. Beyond research, RJ is very active in student leadership, serving as a Peer Leader with the River Hawk Scholars Academy at UML.
Thompson Nguyen
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Class of 2027, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
UMass Lowell
Email: thompson_nguyen@student.uml.edu
Office: Ball Hall 310, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854
Bio: Thompson is an undergraduate student in Electrical Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, expected to graduate in May 2027. His interests include semiconductor material testing, embedded systems, and hands-on circuit prototyping. He has completed several Arduino-based projects, including motion-activated systems and traffic light simulations. Outside the lab, Thompson is very passionate about photography and works as a freelance sports photographer.
Nanofabrication Process Engineer, MIT Lincoln Laboratory
MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering (Fall 2023 – Spring 2025)
MS Thesis: Developing Crystalline NbN Superconductors on GaN by Sputtering: Insights into Structure, Electrical Properties, Thermal and Radiation Stability.