
Hello! My name is Yicheng Zhu. I'm a Postdoctoral Scholar and Bakar Innovation Fellow in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, advised by Professor Robert Pilawa-Podgurski. Thanks for visiting!
406 Cory Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720
yczhu@berkeley.edu
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I will be joining the Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in January 2026. This website is no longer being updated. For the latest news and information about my research, please visit the website of my research group at UT Austin.
We are actively seeking 2–3 highly motivated Ph.D. students to join our group in Fall 2026! Click here for details on how to apply.
My Research Group at UT Austin
My research group at UT Austin will explore the intersection of power, circuits, control, packaging, integration, and more, tackling challenging problems where high-performance power electronic systems are essential to achieving higher efficiency, smaller size, lower weight, faster response, reduced cost, and improved reliability.
One major focus will be on innovative power delivery solutions for high-performance AI processors and data centers — spanning both discrete and integrated levels — through improved circuit topologies, novel magnetic designs, advanced control techniques, cutting-edge integration and packaging technologies, and electrothermal co-optimization.
I am actively looking for Ph.D. students and postdoctoral researchers to join my research group, with expertise ranging from power electronics to power management integrated circuits (PMICs). If you are excited to tackle cutting-edge challenges in these areas and are interested in joining my group, please visit our group website for detailed application instructions.
Prospective graduate students must apply to UT Austin ECE Ph.D. program by December 1, 2025, 11:00 PM CST.
Academic Position
University of California, Berkeley
Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences July 2024 -- Present
Advisor: Professor Robert Pilawa-Podgurski
Fellowship: Bakar Fellows Program
Awards: IEEE PELS Ph.D. Thesis Talk (P3 Talk) Award (2025)
Best Presentation Award at the IEEE 40th Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (2025)
Education
University of California, Berkeley
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences Aug. 2020 -- May 2024
Advisor: Professor Robert Pilawa-Podgurski
Awards: Ross N. Tucker Memorial Award (2024)
Teaching Effectiveness Award (2024)
Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award (2024)
Best Paper Award at the Open Compute Project Future Technologies Symposium (2023)
Best Paper Award at the IEEE 24th Workshop on Control and Modeling for Power Electronics (2023)
NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship (2023-2024)
Berkeley Fellowship (2020-2022)
Master of Science (M.S.) in Electrical Engineering Sept. 2017 -- July 2020
Advisor: Professor Zhengming Zhao
Thesis: Analysis and Control of SiC MOSFET Switching Transients
Awards: IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Outstanding Student Scholarship
Graduate with Distinction
Tsinghua Scholarship of Academic Excellence
Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) in Electrical Engineering and Automation Aug. 2013 -- July 2017
Awards: Graduate with Distinction
Tsinghua Scholarship of Academic Excellence
Grand Prize of the 34\(^{\rm{th}}\) Tsinghua Challenge Cup Student Research Competition (Team leader)
Tsinghua Outstanding Student Leader Award