Mona Jarrahi


Mona Jarrahi is an Iranian Engineering professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. She investigates novel materials, terahertz/millimeter-wave electronics and optoelectronics, microwave photonics, imaging and spectroscopy systems.
Jarrahi was honored with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2013 for her work on Terahertz Optoelectronics.

Early Life and Career

Jarrahi was born in Tehran and received her high school education in Iran. She got her B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology in 2000. She then joined Stanford University in 2001 as a graduate student where she got her MS and Ph.D in Electrical Engineering in 2003 and 2007, respectively. In 2016 she received the "Sharif University of Technology Distinguished Alumni Award".
She served as a Postdoctoral Scholar at University of California Berkeley from 2007 to 2008. After getting her Ph.D. Jarrahi joined University of Michigan Ann Arbor as an assistant professor. Afterwards, she joined UCLA as an associate professor and from 2017 she became a professor at UCLA in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.
Prof. Jarrahi has made significant contributions to the development of ultrafast electronic/optoelectronic devices and integrated systems for terahertz/millimeter-wave sensing, imaging, computing, and communication systems by utilizing novel materials, nanostructures, and quantum well structures as well as innovative plasmonic and optical concepts.
Jarrahi is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, an Honorary Member of the IEEE Eta Kappa Nu, and Fellow Member of the Optical Society of America, a Fellow Member of the International Society of Optical Engineers and a Member of the American Physical Society.

Awards and Recognition

On 23 December 2013, Jarrahi was honored with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers award from the President of the United States, Barack Obama. She was one of 102 scientists and engineers to receive this award in 2013. The presidential award committee cited her work in Terahertz Optoelectronics.
Among the many awards and recognition Prof. Jarrahi received are in this table
YearAward/Recognition
2005Photonic Technology Access Program Research Award
2007Best Student Paper Award, 1st place, International Microwave Symposium
2008Best paper award Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center industry advisory board meeting
2010Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Young Faculty Award
2011National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award
2012Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award
2012Army Research Office Young Investigator Award
2012Elizabeth Crosby Research Award, University of Michigan
2013National Academy of Engineering, The Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering Award
2013Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
2014Kavli Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences
2014Booker Fellowship from the United States National Committee of the International Union of Radio Science
2014IEEE Nanotechnology Council Early Career Award in Nanotechnolog
2014IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society Outstanding Young Engineer Award
2015Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award
2015Lot Shafai Mid-Career Distinguished Achievement Award from IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society
2015Best Student Paper Award, 3rd place, International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves
2016Sharif University of Technology Distinguished Alumni Award
2016Moore Inventor Fellowship
2016Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award
2017Fellow of the Optical Society of America
2017Okawa Foundation Research Award
2017Watanabe Excellence in Research Award from UCLA School of Engineering and Applied Science
2018Fellow of the International Society for Optical Engineering
2019Fellow of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
2019Burroughs Wellcome Fund's Innovations in Regulatory Science Award