Dr. Donhee Ham stands as a distinguished leader in the integration of applied physics and electrical engineering, and was the Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering at Harvard University from 2009 to 2023. From Busan, South Korea, he completed his undergraduate education with a B.S. in physics from Seoul National University in 1996, followed by 1.5 years of mandatory military service in the Korea Army. His academic journey continued at Caltech where he pursued graduate training in physics, initially working on the LIGO project under Professor Barry Barish, before shifting to electrical engineering for his doctoral studies. Dr. Ham earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 2002, receiving the esteemed Charles Wilts Prize awarded for the best thesis in EE for his innovative work on the statistical physics of electrical circuits.
Dr. Ham's research program has established him as a pioneering figure in experimental device physics and circuit design, with his laboratory focusing on four interconnected research thrusts that bridge fundamental physics with engineering applications. His group's work on quantum and low-dimensional devices explores the fundamental limits of quantum phenomena for next-generation information processing, while his research on scalable nano-bio interfaces for neurotechnology represents a frontier in merging nanoscale engineering with neural systems. Dr. Ham has also made significant contributions to scalable NMR-based biomolecular spectroscopy, developing innovative approaches to analyze biological molecules at unprecedented scales. His expertise extends to integrated circuits design, particularly in RF, analog, and mixed-signal domains, where his group has advanced the theoretical understanding and practical implementation of high-performance circuits that operate at the intersection of physics and engineering principles.
Beyond his laboratory achievements, Dr. Ham has significantly shaped his field through leadership roles including his recent positions as Fellow (2019-2024) and Deputy Head (2024) at Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, demonstrating the translational impact of his research. His professional experience spans prestigious institutions including Caltech-MIT LIGO, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, and visiting professorships at POSTECH and Seoul National University, establishing him as a globally connected researcher with influence across academia and industry. Dr. Ham has served on numerous IEEE conference technical program committees including the IEEE ISSCC and IEEE ASSCC, and provided leadership, serving as an associate editor for IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems and as co-editor of the influential text "CMOS Biotechnology" published by Springer in 2007. Currently directing his research group at Harvard, Dr. Ham continues to mentor the next generation of scientists and engineers while advancing the frontiers of quantum devices, neurotechnology interfaces, and high-performance circuit design for applications that span from fundamental physics to biomedical innovation.
