Faculty Directory

Horiuchi, Timothy

Horiuchi, Timothy

Associate Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering
The Institute for Systems Research
Maryland Robotics Center
Brain and Behavior Institute
Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices
2231 A.V. Williams Bldg.

Dr. Horiuchi earned both his B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1989 and his Ph.D. with Prof. Christof Koch in Computation and Neural Systems in 1997 at the California Institute of Technology.  His Ph.D. work focused on the design of analog VLSI circuits that mimic the neural circuits underlying saccadic eye movements in the primate. This work included the design of visual processing chips, auditory localization chips, non-volatile floating-gate learning, motor control, and attentional processing.  He went on to do his postdoctoral work with Prof. Ernst Niebur in the Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute at the Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Horiuchi joined the University of Maryland faculty as an Assistant Professor in 1999 as a part of the microelectronics group in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. He is a co-director of the Computational Sensorimotor Systems Laboratory and is a member of the Neurosciences and Cognitive Sciences Program at the University of Maryland. Dr. Horiuchi is one of the directors of the annual Telluride Neuromorphic Engineering Workshop and is involved in the growth of this international research community. He is also a member of the IEEE.

Dr. Horiuchi has had diverse experience in industrial research, having served with many companies (Hughes Aircraft, Boeing, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Tanner Research) during his educational period.

Dr. Horiuchi's general research interests are in computational neuroscience and the implementation of neural circuit architectures in VLSI-based processors. The applications of interest center around the coordination of complex sensory processing and control of motor systems. He has been involved in the development of analog VLSI chips that perform auditory and visual localization, implement non-volatile, on-chip analog memories, and control small mobile robotics. He is also involved in efforts to improve the tools and techniques used in neurophysiology. His current focus is the understanding of the bat echolocation system.

Honors and awards

Elevate Fellow, University of Maryland, 2019

ISR Outstanding Systems Engineering Faculty Award, University of Maryland, 2004

NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award for "Adaptive Neuromorphic VLSI for Improving Accuracy and Precision: Modeling Attention for Bat Echolocation," 2004

 

Bat echolocation; computational neuroscience; learning systems; neuromorphic VLSI design; constrained optimization circuits; mobile robotics; neural recording and spike-sorting techniques and tools


Teaching Students Specialized Skills for Success

The University of Maryland DREEM program sets students up for a career in the microelectronics industry

Horiuchi is PI for NSF 'ExLENT' experiential learning project

UMD's 'DREEM' project addresses the need for a domestic microelectronics industry workforce, and partners with two community colleges.

Fischell Institute Spotlight: Nathan Renegar

Nathan Renegar is a second-year Ph.D. electrical and computer engineering student. He also graduated in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Maryland.

Acoustic waveguide developed using cascaded acoustic Luneburg lenses

The invention could be used as an on-chip waveguide as part of an acoustic circuit for acoustic communications.

Exploring the 'rules of life' of natural neuronal networks could lead to faster, more efficient computers

Nearly $3 million in NSF funding will enhance understanding of how the parts of a single neuron contribute to neuronal networks' overall learning and computation abilities.

New website showcases work of Clark School’s microelectronics researchers

The site offers a first-hand look into Maryland’s capabilities, research and education opportunities in this important field.

‘Smellicopter’ drone uses live moth antenna to seek smells, avoid obstacles

Timothy Horiuchi is a co-author on the research published in IOP Bioinspiration & Biomimetics.

Professor Horiuchi named an Elevate Fellow

As a Fellow, he will participate in a year-long program to redesign ENEE 303 (Analog and Digital Electronics).

Wen, Horiuchi are runners up for BioCAS 2018 Best Paper Award

Power-law compression can expand the dynamic range of a neuromorphic echolocation system.

Lu, Gollob win ISR annual awards

ISR's outstanding graduate student and undergraduate student awards were given at the Institute's welcome back reception.