Roark Chao
PhD Student at the University of California, Santa Barbara
Roark Chao is an Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) PhD student at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), where he is advised by Professors Jon Schuller and Steven DenBaars. Previously, he received his B.S. and M.S. in ECE from UCSB in 2024 and 2025, respectively, under the guidance of Professor Jon Schuller. His research seeks to combine machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) with finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) and rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) models of light-matter interactions with the express objective of demonstrating unconventional optoelectronics enabled by metasurfaces. His broad research interests include 2D hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites, III-Nitride optoelectronics, and metasurfaces.
The Goal
Pushing metasurface-integrated optoelectronics into the mainstream market
The approach
Designs tolerate of electron beam lithography and DUV photolithography conditions
