Florian Solzbacher portrait
  • Professor, Elect & Computer Engineering
  • Adjunct Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
  • Adjunct Professor, Biomedical Engineering
  • Director, Center for Engineering Innovation, College Of Engineering
  • Co-Director Utah Nanotechnology Institute
  • Chair USTAR Cluster/Committee Nanosystem integration and Packaging, College Of Engineering
  • Member Internal Commercialization Advisory Board , Vp For Research
  • Member, RIF committee, Vp For Research
  • Member, EFS (Entrepreneurial Faculty Scholars), Technology Venture Capitalization
  • Director, Microsystems Laboratory, Elect & Computer Engineering
  • Member, ECE Strategic Planning Committee, Elect & Computer Engineering
  • Gerald and Barbara Stringfellow Endowed Professor , Elect & Computer Engineering
  • Chair, Faculty Search Committee, Elect & Computer Engineering

Honors & Awards

  • Fellow . NAI National Academy of Inventors, 12/2022
  • Blackrock Neurotech (my company) 2022 Best of State winner in Applied Science/Technology . Utah Best of State Award, 05/26/2022
  • Fellow . IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers , 01/2022
  • Fellow. American Institute of Medical and Biomedical Engineers AIMBE, 03/2019
  • Selected for Fellow class of 2019 . AIMBE, 12/2018
  • Utah Best of State award Medical Innovation, Blackrock Microsystems. Utah Best of State , 06/2018
  • Senior Member. IEEE, 06/2018
  • 2012 Distinguished Innovation & Impact Award. Office of the President, University of Utah, 05/04/2012
  • Distinguished Researcher Award 2011. University of Utah, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 08/2011
  • Re-elected Chairman AMA Re-elected Sensor + Test trade fair and conference. AMA Association for Measurement Technology, 2007
  • Chairman, Sensor and Test 2007 international conference and trade fair . AMA Association for Sensor Technology , 2006

In the Media

Professional Service

  • Gordon Research Conferences GRC. Role: Session Chair. Session Leader Translating Neural Interfaces for GRC conference March 2024. 07/12/2023 - 03/15/2024
  • ECE Department Heads Association. Chairman Western ECEDHA Chapter . 03/15/2023 - 03/14/2024
  • ECE Department Heads Association, ECEDHA. Role: Chairman. Organizer and Chair of 2022 Western ECEDHA annual meeting . 01/01/2022 - 10/22/2022
  • NIH/NINDS Neural Interfaces Conference. Session Chair . 06/2015 - 06/2016
  • European Research Council ERC European Commission. Chair for Standing Panels in ERC since 2014 Reviewer since 2004. 01/2014 - present
  • COMS 2014 Conference. Role: Co-chair. Organize COMS 2014 Conference in partnership with MANCEF Co-chair. 10/2013 - 11/2014
  • Utah Industry / University Relations Working Group. Role: Member. With GOED (Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development). 01/2013 - present
  • NIH NINDS/NANS Neural Interfaces Conference . Role: Steering Committee Member. Steering Committee Member. 01/01/2013 - present
  • NIH/NINDS Neural Interfaces Conference. Steering Committee Member . 06/2012 - present
  • NANS/NIC. Role: Steering Committee Member. Neural Interfaces Conference Steering Committee . 06/2012 - present
  • Life Science Utah Cluster Acceleration Partnership (UCAP). Role: Member. Life Science Utah Cluster Acceleration Partnership (UCAP) Strategy Committee. 12/2011 - present
  • USTAR. Role: Co-Chair. USTAR Neural Interface Translation and Commercialization workshop and exhibit. 11/2011 - 11/2011
  • Utah Governor's Science and Technology Advisory Board. Role: Member . support development of science, technology and innovation strategy for the state of Utah . 07/2011 - present
  • National Institute of Health NINDS. Role: Member. Ongoing review panelist. 01/2011 - present
  • University of Utah. Role: Chair. NanoUtah conference and exhibition 2011. 10/2010 - 10/2011
  • National Institute of Health. Role: Co-chair. Neural Interfaces Conference/Exposition, June 2012, Salt Lake City, UT . 01/2010 - 07/2012
  • Electronics System Integration Technology Conference ESTC 2010. Role: Conference Committee Member . Conference co-organization and abstract review . 09/11/2009 - 09/16/2010
  • International Conference on Neuroprosthetic Devices. Role: International Scientific Committee Member. Conference organization, abstract review. 2009 - present
  • European Commission ERC Scientific Council. Role: Panel Member . Standing Review Panel . 2008 - present
  • Sensors and Actuators. Role: reviewer. Journal review. 2007 - present
  • DFG (German Research Society). Role: Panel Member. Standing Review Panel. 2006 - present
  • Fraunhofer Society Germany/Fraunhofer Microelectronics Group. Role: Board member. Advisory Board. 2005 - present
  • Electrochemical and Solid State Letters. Role: reviewer. journal/publication reviews. 2005 - present
  • Department of Energy . Role: Panel Member. SBIR/STTIR Review Panels. 01/2005 - present
  • National Science Foundation. Role: Panel Member. Review Panels . 2004 - present
  • Advanced Microsystems for Automotive Engineering AMAA. Role: Member of Steering Committee. Conference co-organization/abstract review . 2004 - present
  • AMA: Association for Sensor Technology. Executive Board Member, Chairman 2003-2011. 11/2001 - 11/2011
  • German federal ministry of education and research. Role: Board member. MEMS Exter advisory board. 2001 - present
  • ZEMI (center for Microtechnologies. Role: Board member. Advisory Board. 2001 - present

Internal Service

  • Search Committee VPR . Search Committee Member National Search for new VPR , 10/2022 - 02/2023. University service.
  • Department Chair . Department Chair , 10/01/2017 - 12/31/2023. Department service.
  • Associate Chair . Associate Chair , 07/2016 - 09/2017. Department service.
  • Faculty Search Committee, University of Utah, Elect & Computer Engineering, . Chair, 10/2015 - present. Department service.
  • Digital Fabrication TaskForce , University of Utah, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs . Member, 07/2015 - present. University service.
  • a2ru / createCONNECTIONS committee, University of Utah, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs . Member, 01/2015 - present. University service.
  • Internal Commercialization Advisory Board IC3. Member, 01/2014 - present. University service.
  • Vice President for Research RIF committee. Member , 01/2014 - present. University service.
  • CARMA Executive Committee. Member, 09/2013 - present. University service.
  • Center for Engineering Innovation. Director, 07/2013 - present. University service.
  • ECE Strategic Planning Committee. Member, 01/2013 - present. Department service.
  • Faculty Recruiting Committee, College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Member, 01/2012 - present. Department service.
  • NSF IGERT committee . Member, 01/2011 - present. College service.
  • Entrepreneurial Faculty Scholars (EFS) Committee. Member, 01/2011 - present. University service.
  • Utah Nanofabrication Laboratory Executive Advisory Board. Member, 01/2011 - present. University service.
  • USTAR Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building (SMBB) Committee. Member, 01/2011 - present. University service.
  • Microsystems Laboratory . Director, 01/2011 - present. College service.
  • Executive Director Utah Nanofabrication Laboratory . Executive Director Utah Nanofabrication Laboratory , 07/2009 - 06/2015. College service.
  • Utah Nanofabrication Laboratory . Director , 07/2009 - 09/2013. College service.
  • USTAR Nanofabrication Facility College Programming Committee. Chairman, 2008 - present. College service.
  • USTAR Cluster on Micro and Nanointegration and Packaging and hiring committee. Chairman, 2008 - present. College service.
  • Solid State Curriculum Committee. Member (Chair until 09/2013), 11/2007 - present. Department service.
  • Utah Nanotechnology Institute. Co-Director , 07/2007 - 06/2017. University service.
  • Safety Officer. Safety Officer, 06/2007 - 06/2011. Department service.

Community Partnership

  • Blackrock Neuromed Delivering Clinical Electrophysiology solutions to hospitals. 01/2011 - present
  • Founder/President/Chairman Blackrock Sensors Inc. 06/2009 - present
  • Founder/President/Chairman – Blackrock Microsystems LLC Salt Lake City, UT. 05/2008 - present

Outreach

  • Member, External Advisory Board, Center for Neural Engineering, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, TX. 01/2011 - present
  • Creator/Coordinator – Student Exchange program between University of Utah and Technical University of Berlin. 10/2007 - present
  • Creator/Coordinator – Student Exchange program between University of Utah and Saarland University. 09/2006 - present