Anthony Grbic receives David E. Liddle Research Excellence Award

Prof. Anthony Grbic has received the David E. Liddle Research Excellence Award from the College of Engineering for his world-renowned work in the fields of electromagnetics and optics.

Grbic is a world leader in the development of metamaterials and metasurfaces, which are artificial materials and surfaces with electromagnetic properties beyond those found in nature. His pioneering research has led to ultra-thin electromagnetic and optical devices with revolutionary capabilities and the development of new opportunities in low-profile antennas and other applications that require low-profile optical elements, including ultrathin 3D holographic platforms and cameras. His work has been foundational for achieving unusual phenomena such as near-field, lens-free focusing, cloaking (or “invisibility”), virtual reality devices, and more.

Grbic is credited with being the first to create a metamaterial superlens that surpassed the resolution limitations of conventional lenses, and he helped develop circuit-based metamaterials resulting in transformative electromagnetic devices. He co-invented near-field plates, surfaces that can confine electromagnetic energy to extreme subwavelength resolutions, an innovation expected to lead to lithographic systems with unparalleled resolution and improvements in the range and efficiency of wireless power transfer systems.

In addition, he was the first to create high efficiency, reflectionless metasurfaces, and introduced a pragmatic approach to developing bianisotropic metasurfaces, which could lead to antenna systems that could replace dishes and reflector-based systems. His most recent research involves the development of metamaterials whose properties can vary both in space and time.

Grbic is a Fellow of IEEE and is currently a Distinguished Microwave Lecturer for the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society. He has received the AFOSR Young Investigator Award, an NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award, a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, an Outstanding Young Engineer Award from the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society, and a Booker Fellowship from the United States National Committee of the International Union of Radio Science. He has also received a Henry Russel Award and a Faculty Recognition Award from the University of Michigan. He was the inaugural recipient of the Ernest and Bettine Kuh Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award.

Grbic joined Michigan in 2006 after receiving his Master’s and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto.