Khoi Dao

Khoi Dao is a graduate student in materials science and engineering, developing advanced micro-heater platforms to enable novel material processing directly on-chip. His research addresses a central challenge in semiconductor manufacturing: integrating new materials within the thermal limits of standard CMOS workflows. By combining inverse design with high-resolution thermal control, Khoi is creating programmable micro-heaters capable of executing precise, localized heat treatments previously unachievable with traditional furnaces. As a MathWorks Fellow, he will refine these design algorithms and expand their use in the testing of optical phase change materials and integrating of photonic components. Khoi relies extensively on MATLAB and Simulink to perform thermal simulations, automate resistance mapping, control experimental setups, and optimize device design across thousands of variables. This work could accelerate the integration of new photonic and quantum materials into next-generation chips, driving innovations in computing, sensing, and beyond. Through a powerful combination of modeling and experimentation, Khoi is advancing a new paradigm in microscale materials engineering.