Spotlight on Shih-Lien Lu, Mahboob Khan Outstanding Industry Liaison

Over the next several months, we will share experiences of Liaisons that have greatly enhanced the GRC research experience, The GRC Liaison experience is a unique program that brings everyday on-the-job reality to the academic community and connects the academic community to daily industrial challenges.

Through a group of Spotlight articles, we hope to provide some everyday examples of how Mahboob Khan Outstanding Liaisons provide value for both member companies and funded GRC researchers. We expect these examples to provide encouragement for others to become more involved in this unique program, by exercising individual talent to influence the next generation of researchers and rapidly move research results to the industrial community.

Shih-Lien Lu/Intel

Dr. Shih-Lien Lu received one of the 2009 Mahboob Khan Outstanding Industry Liaison Awards during TECHCON 2009. Dr. Lu was nominated by a team of GRC Integrated Systems Design researchers from the University of Michigan. According to Dr. Todd Austin, Dr. Lu has a strong technical background along with a caring disposition that effectively engages both academic researchers and students. His background includes a faculty position at Oregon State thus enabling him to merge both the academic and industrial experience for the benefit of both.

Ilya Wagner, now with Intel and a former a student of Dr. Valeria Bertacco, was greatly influenced by the mentorship of Dr. Lu. Dr. Wagner first met Dr. Lu at a workshop, during which a discussion on the merits of various research projects developed. This discussion resulted in the student pursuing work on resilient hardware. During a summer internship at Intel, Dr. Lu provided detailed feedback on how the academic research would best fit into the needs to Intel and other microprocessor developers. He provided a reality check that is often lacking in academic projects. Dr. Lu brought the student's work to the attention of other researchers within Intel, going so far as to help set up meetings with several groups within Intel. When the student returned to the university, Dr. Lu remained available for advice and provided industrial insight that shaped this successful project. One of the research project's outcomes were multiple technology disclosures and a patent application, which may have not happened without Dr. Lu's participation.

Dr. Valeria Bertacco has been impressed with Dr. Lu's continued support over many years. He is always ready to discuss the academic research direction and how it fit with the critical challenges Intel was facing along with the critical need for solutions, in technology, architecture and reliability. Dr. Lu frequently provided constructive and positive feedback in a way that is both supportive and encouraging. A number of Dr. Bertacco's students have received letters of support and reference from Dr. Lu enabling summer internships and research opportunities. Based upon strong support from Dr. Lu, GRC student, Kypos Constantinides, received an Intel Fellowship.