Professor Rhonda Franklin elevated to IEEE Fellow
McKnight Presidential Endowed Professor Rhonda Franklin was recently elevated to IEEE Fellow, class of 2026. The honor is in recognition of her “leadership in microwave engineering education and workforce development.”
Franklin’s research interests include the use of Microelectronic Mechanical Structures (MEMS) in radio frequency (RF) and microwave applications. In particular, she explores novel design, fabrication, and testing methods of planar circuits and antennas, such as microstrip, as well as package technology for integrated circuits. However, in addition to being a scientist and engineer, Franklin is a dedicated educator leading education and workforce development measures in microwave engineering. She co-founded Project Connect, a volunteer program rooted in the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT-S), that spans five universities and two industry partners . A collaborative undertaking, it seeks to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in microwave engineering. It supports the travel of undergraduate and graduate students to the International Microwave Symposium (IMS) so they can access the conference and its activities: technical topics, student programs, career building programs, mentoring sessions, networking events, and other activities. Project Connect has seen participation from over 175 students across over 54 US institutions, and several of its alumni have gone on to pursue graduate school and/or careers in the industry.
She is a founding advisor of the University of Minnesota IEEE Women in Engineering affinity group, mentors female students at Women in Microwave events nationwide, and directs the Mentoring for the Formation of Research Careers in Engineering (M-FORCE) program. Supported by an $800,000 grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF), M-FORCE is a partnership between the University, Morgan State University (an HBCU), and the National GEM Consortium. It is a mentoring hub that supports and encourages underrepresented minority participation at every level of the engineering workforce. The program creates a sense of belonging and inclusion for underrepresented minority engineering graduate students by expanding their knowledge of the research enterprise and careers in research. A critical aspect of the program is that it provides a community model that can be adapted to fit any graduate program.
A tireless advocate for women in engineering, Franklin is a role model herself who has contributed significantly to RF engineering and microwave applications. Her dedication to the improvement of microwave education in the classroom, through research experience, and mentorship has been profoundly influential. Her commitment to service and leadership as an educator and volunteer are borne out by the awards and honors she has previously received, not including those received in recognition of her scientific contributions: 2021 IEEE MGA Diversity & Inclusion Award; 2019 N. Walter Cox Service Award, IEEE MTT-S; 2022 ECE Alumni Distinguished Educator Award, University of Michigan; 2022 McKnight Presidential Endowed Professorship; 2020 Abbott Professorship in Innovative Education, Institute for Engineering in Medicine at the University; 2020 ARCS Minnesota Chapter Scientist of the Year, ARCS Foundation.
As a scientist and engineer, Franklin has been a leader in high-frequency wafer-level packaging and integration of planar integrated circuit components and antenna elements. She was the first to develop a rigorous design methodology that used passive components to form compact, high performance packaged systems, having previously demonstrated that using high-resistivity silicon substrates resulted in lower loss, reduced crosstalk, and integrated electromagnetic shielding. Her work has significantly impacted applications such as nanosatellites, mobile devices, and the ever increasing number of devices on the internet of things (IoT) where high efficiency combined with low size, weight, and power consumption are critical. The importance of her contribution is evident in its adoption: quickly adopted by other researchers for other self-packaged systems, her technique forms the foundation for today’s advanced packaging of systems on a chip.
ECE congratulates Professor Rhonda Franklin and thanks her for her selfless service and leadership in the area of microwave engineering education.
Professor Rhonda Franklin joined the University of Minnesota in 1998 as Assistant Professor. She earned her doctoral degree in 1995 at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and her bachelor's degree at Texas A&M University in 1988. Prior to joining the University, she was an assistant professor at University of Illinois Chicago. In addition to her faculty role in ECE, she also serves as the Abbott Professor for Innovative Education at the Institute for Engineering in Medicine at the University.