Muhammad Mustafa Hussain, KAUST Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, won a 2015 Outstanding Young Texas Exes (OYTEX) Award from The University of Texas at Austin (U.S.). The award recognizes University of Texas (UT) graduates (called “Texas Exes”) age 39 and younger who have made outstanding achievements in their fields of work.

Hussain studied at UT from 2003-2005, completing both his master’s degree and Ph.D. in solid state electronics within the area of electrical and computer engineering there. Upon joining KAUST in 2009, Hussain founded the University’s Integrated Nanotechnology Laboratory, where he currently supervises 14 Ph.D. students.

The Texas Exes’ website calls Hussain a “pioneer in the field of integrated nanotechnology for a sustainable future.” Prior to his appointment at KAUST, Hussain led three successful nanotechnology programs at SEMATECH, the world’s largest semiconductor research consortium in Austin, Texas. He has 15 issued or pending patents, has won 18 research awards and both Intel and Samsung have adapted his work on CMOS technology. In addition, his work with KAUST Ph.D. graduate Justine Mink on healthcare technology using microbial fuel cells was listed as one of the Top 10 World Changing Ideas 2014 by Scientific American.

“My time in UT’s Solid State Electronics mega group, one of the largest and most highly ranked of such groups in the U.S., kept me motivated to do groundbreaking research in physical electronics,” Hussain said. “Now, growing a vibrant research program in a budding university like KAUST and being recognized by my alma mater with the OYTEX award – it can’t get better than this.”

- By Caitlin Clark, KAUST News