Aaron D. Franklin

Addy Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Dr. Aaron Franklin is the Addy Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Chemistry at Duke, where he is also the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the Pratt School of Engineering. Dr. Franklin received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in 2008 and then spent six years on the research staff at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY.  In 2014, he joined the faculty at Duke where his group explores the use of 1D and 2D nanomaterials for high-performance nanoscale devices, low-cost printed and recyclable electronics, and biomedical sensing systems. He is most widely known for his work on low-dimensional nanoelectronics with specific emphasis on carbon nanotube (CNT) transistors, including device scaling, transport studies, and advanced integration approaches.  In addition to leading a scientific research group, Dr. Franklin has been actively involved in the translation of inventions out of the lab, holding more than 50 issued patents and being engaged in two funded start-ups, one of which was acquired by a Fortune 500 company. He is fellow of the IEEE and NAI and has published more than 100 scientific papers in the field of nanomaterial-based electronics.

Research in the Franklin group is focused on improving the performance and functionality of nanomaterial-enabled electronic devices. The primary drive is to improve performance of - and expand applications for - electronic devices, including those with more custom form factors and/or functionality (e.g., flexibility, transparency, biocompatibility, recyclability). There is an increasing variety of new electronics applications that nanomaterials are uniquely capable of enabling -- the Franklin group works to make such applications possible.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Addy Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
  • Professor of Chemistry

Contact Information

  • Office Location: 3473 Fitzpatrick CIEMAS, Durham, NC 27708
  • Email Address: aaron.franklin@duke.edu
  • Websites:

Education

  • B.S.E. Arizona State University, 2004
  • Ph.D. Purdue University, 2008

Research Interests

Nanomaterials in electronic devices, nanofabrication, printed electronics and internet of things (IoT), biosensing

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • Fellow. IEEE. 2024
  • Fellow (NAI). National Academy of Inventors. 2024

Courses Taught

  • NANOSCI 511: Foundations of Nanoscale Science and Technology
  • ME 392: Undergraduate Projects in Mechanical Engineering
  • EGR 790: Special Topics in Engineering
  • EGR 393: Research Projects in Engineering
  • ECE 899: Special Readings in Electrical Engineering
  • ECE 891: Internship
  • ECE 590: Advanced Topics in Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • ECE 512: Emerging Nanoelectronic Devices
  • ECE 511: Foundations of Nanoscale Science and Technology
  • ECE 493: Projects in Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • ECE 392: Projects in Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • ECE 391: Projects in Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • ECE 292: Projects in Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • ECE 291: Projects in Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • ECE 230L: Introduction to Microelectronic Devices and Circuits
  • ECE 230L9: Introduction to Microelectronic Devices and Circuits-Lab
  • CHEM 611: Foundations of Nanoscale Science and Technology

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