{"667441":{"#nid":"667441","#data":{"type":"news","title":"In Memoriam: Oliver Brand","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/oliver-brand\u0022\u003EOliver Brand\u003C\/a\u003E, the executive director of the Georgia Tech Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology (IEN), passed away on April 13, 2023. He was a valued researcher, leader, colleague, and friend.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDescribed by friends and colleagues as a true gentleman scholar, Brand made a lasting impact on those he met.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOliver was a gentle soul. He led IEN with empathy and advocated vigorously for his team,\u201d said Chaouki Abdallah, executive vice president for research at Georgia Tech. \u201cWhen asked to participate in large research initiatives, he was inclusive and effective. He knew when to lead, and when to support. Our recent successes in capturing large semiconductor funding are largely due to Oliver\u2019s expertise and his leadership. I will miss him.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOliver was beloved by staff, students, and faculty alike at Georgia Tech and around the world. He was a delightful person who made every occasion brighter with his kindness, dedication, passion, and intellect,\u201d added Julia Kubanek, vice president of interdisciplinary research at Georgia Tech. \u201cHis research contributions have been far-reaching, exemplifying true transdisciplinarity. He advocated tirelessly for the career interests and needs of researchers, especially his students as well as the research faculty and staff of IEN. He made IEN a true family and we will miss him enormously.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBrand spent more than 20 years as a member of the Georgia Tech faculty and officially began his role as executive director of IEN in 2014. In addition to leading IEN, he was a professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), the director of the Coordinating Office for the NSF-funded National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) as well director of the Southeastern Nanotechnology Infrastructure Corridor, one of the 16 NNCI sites.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOliver\u0027s impact at Georgia Tech and ECE was exceptional, as very few individuals in any academic setting can match the magnitude of his influence,\u201d said Arijit Raychowdhury, the Steve W. Chaddick School Chair of ECE. \u201cWhile he was undoubtedly a distinguished figure in the research community, Oliver was equally renowned at ECE as a mentor and educator. He had a unique ability to instill his enthusiasm for learning and exploration in you, motivating you to strive for excellence not just professionally, but more importantly as a friend and human being.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBrand was passionate about supporting and connecting those doing basic and applied research in the areas of electronics and nanotechnology, and under his direction, IEN grew to include more than 200 faculty members at Georgia Tech from multiple colleges and departments.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022During his tenure as executive director of IEN, Oliver skillfully guided the significant expansion of Georgia Tech\u0027s world-class research programs, core facilities, and educational activities in electronics and nanotechnology,\u201d said Michael Filler, associate director for research programs in IEN. \u201cHe was instrumental in securing the coordinating office for the NSF-supported National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure. Most importantly, Oliver was cherished by the IEN community for his unassuming yet effective approach to team building and his unwavering commitment to supporting others.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBrand was a leading researcher in the area of Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and, in particular, the development of micro-scale physical, chemical, and biological sensors. He used his expertise in this area to help create the NIH-funded Atlanta Center for Microsystems Engineered Point-of-Care Technologies (ACME POCT), a center focused on the development and translation of microsystems-engineered technologies including microchip-enabled devices, MEMs-based sensors, microfluidics, and smartphone-based systems. ACME POCT was instrumental in developing accurate Covid-19 tests as part of the NIH\u2019s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics initiative, which was critical in slowing the spread of the virus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOliver was a true pioneer in the field of microsystems engineering and nanotechnology. In more recent years, his interest expanded to the development of sensors for medical applications, and I had the good fortune of partnering with him on multiple collaborations,\u201d said Wilbur Lam, a professor in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and Brand\u2019s co-director of ACME POCT. \u201cDuring the last several years, thanks in large part to Oliver\u2019s leadership, our Center served as the national test validation center to verify the performance of Covid-19 diagnostics for the NIH and FDA, and Oliver and our team helped the entire country in \u2018testing the tests\u2019 to combat the global pandemic.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a 2022 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/03\/15\/health\/covid-testing-variants-emory.html?smid=tw-nytimes\u0026amp;smtyp=cur\u0022\u003Earticle published by the \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, Bruce Tromberg, director of the NIH\u2019s National Institute of Biomedical Engineering, called Brand and the rest of the team \u201cabsolutely heroic\u201d for their contributions to the Covid-19 pandemic. The team also received the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/news\/2022\/05\/11\/tech-celebrates-outstanding-faculty-staff-members\u0022\u003EOutstanding Achievement in Research Program Development Award\u003C\/a\u003E at the annual Georgia Tech Faculty and Staff Honors Luncheon in the spring of 2022 for their work in this area.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThroughout his career, Brand co-authored more than 120 publications in scientific journals and conference proceedings. He received the 2011 ECE Distinguished Mentor Award and the 2012 ECE Richard M. Bass\/Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Teacher Award, which is determined by the vote of the ECE senior class. He also served as general co-chair of the 2008 IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, co-editor of the Wiley-VCH book series Advanced Micro and Nanosystems, was a member of the editorial board of Sensors and Materials, a co-recipient of the 2005 IEEE Donald G. Fink Prize Paper Award, and a senior member of IEEE.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe is survived by his beloved wife, Claudia, and his children Marina and Tim. He will be deeply missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBrand, the executive director of the Georgia Tech Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, passed away on April 13, 2023. He was a valued researcher, leader, colleague, and friend.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Brand, the executive director of the Georgia Tech Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, passed away on April 13, 2023. He was a valued researcher, leader, colleague, and friend."}],"uid":"34760","created_gmt":"2023-04-20 11:22:02","changed_gmt":"2023-04-20 18:50:10","author":"Laurie Haigh","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-04-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-04-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"670592":{"id":"670592","type":"image","title":"Oliver Brand","body":"\u003Cp\u003EOliver Brand\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1681989593","gmt_created":"2023-04-20 11:19:53","changed":"1681989700","gmt_changed":"2023-04-20 11:21:40","alt":"Oliver Brand","file":{"fid":"253478","name":"oliver_brand.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/04\/20\/oliver_brand.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/04\/20\/oliver_brand.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":47506,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/04\/20\/oliver_brand.jpg?itok=8QYgSCzP"}}},"media_ids":["670592"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/faces-research-meet-oliver-brand","title":"Faces of Research: Meet Oliver Brand"},{"url":"https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/researchers-test-tests-help-combat-spread-covid-19","title":"Researchers Test the Tests to Help Combat Covid-19"},{"url":"https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/microelectronics-momentum-drives-nations-semiconductor-resurgence-0","title":"Microelectronics Momentum Drives the Nation\u2019s Semiconductor Resurgence"}],"groups":[{"id":"197261","name":"Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187433","name":"go-ien"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELaurie Haigh\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nResearch Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["laurie.haigh@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}