Faculty Directory

BACKGROUND

Dr. R.D. (Mel) Gomez is a Professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. He obtained his Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics from the Univ. of Maryland, M.S. degree from Wayne State University in Experimental Atomic Physics and B.S. degree from the University of the Philippines. He co-authored more than 100 scientific publications, including several book chapters and three US patents in the general area of nanotechnology.

Apart from research, he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in quantum theory, electromagnetic theory, magnetism, electronic circuits and engineering design. As Associate Chair, he has implemented significant changes in the EE and CpE programs to modernize the curricula to better prepare students for jobs in the industry and graduate careers. He is a proponent of ‘hands-on’ education, and has spearheaded the development of several training laboratories in the department. He is also leading an effort to develop EE programs in Southern Maryland and at the Universities at Shady Grove.

Dr. Gomez has been active in the international community in various roles such as the General Chair of the IEEE Intermag Conference in 2005, the Chair of the Technical Committee of the Magnetics Society in 2004-2007 and an Editorial Board Member of the IEEE Transactions in Magnetics in 2000-2004, president and board member Philippine American Academy of Scientists and Engineers. He has served as consultants to several agencies including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. He is also actively engaged in programs that benefit the Philippines, and has founded a program known as VISSER (Versatile Instrumentation System for Science Education and Research) to promote sophisticated yet cost effective instruments for K-12 students.

HONORS AND AWARDS

• National Academy of Science and Technology of the Philippines (2019)
• Clark School of Engineering Poole and Kent Teaching Award for Senior Faculty (2019)  
• Clark School of Engineering Faculty Service Award (2014)
• Clark School of Engineering E. Robert Kent Outstanding Teaching Award (2005)
• Recognized as Influential Educator, Celebrating Teachers Program of University of Maryland's Center for Teaching Excellence (2001)
• NSF CAREER Award (2000)
• ECE Department George Corcoran Faculty Award (1998)
• Member of the IEEE Transaction of Magnetics Editorial Board

 

Prof. Gomez's research interests lie in the broad areas of magnetism, nanotechnology and biochemical detection with emphasis on the phenomena and processes at the atomic and molecular length scales. He directs a modest group of postdoctoral associates and students who seek to understand and exploit novel quantum effects that manifest themselves at reduced dimensions and size, with applications in magnetism and spin-polarized transport at the molecular length scales, and biomolecular sensing.  He is currently working on ways to more efficiently detect the genetic signatures of cells and pathogens, and his team’s most recent patent in 2011 is a method to detect genes using carbon nanotube transistor arrays.