biography

Kenji Uchino, one of the pioneers in piezoelectric actuators, is Founding Director of International Center for Actuators and Transducers and Professor of EE at Penn State University. He is also Associate Director at Office of Naval Research – Global Tokyo Office as IPA from 2010 till 2014. He was the Founder and Senior Vice President & CTO of Micromechatronics Inc., State College, PA. After being awarded his Ph. D. degree from Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, he became Research Associate/Assistant Professor (1976)in Physical Electronics Department at this university. Then, he joined Sophia University, Japan as Associate Professor in Physics Department in 1985. He was then recruited from The Penn State University in 1991. He was also involved with Space Shuttle Utilizing Committee in NASDA, Japan during 1986-88, and Vice President of NF Electronic Instruments, USA, during 1992-94. He is the Founding Chair of Smart Actuators/Sensors Committee, Japan Technology Transfer Association sponsored by Ministry of Economics, Trading and Industries, Japan since 1987. 

He was also awarded his MBA degree from St. Francis University (2008), and authored a textbook, “Entrepreneurship for Engineers” for College of Business. He is a Fellowof American Ceramic Society and of IEEE, and also is a recipient of 27 awards, includingIEEE-UFFC Ferroelectrics Recognition  Award (2013),Inventor Award from Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems, Virginia Tech (2011), Premier Research Award from The Penn State Engineering Alumni Society (2011).