When Matthew Marinella left a research role at Sandia National Laboratories after 11 years to become an associate professor of electrical engineering at Arizona State University, he didn’t leave all of his Sandia ties behind.
Since joining the faculty of the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Marinella has continued collaborating with Sandia on his research. He’s currently the principal investigator on a project to increase computing performance through greater power efficiency for radiation-hardened electronics as part of Sandia’s Grand Challenge series of scientific research. The work at ASU builds on the previous electronics research Marinella conducted at Sandia.
Radiation hardening is a process that increases the durability of electronics used in high-radiation environments like outer space. This can keep crucial computer components, such as those on a spacecraft, functioning where regular electronics would fail under radiation exposure.
Sandia’s Grand Challenge projects are considered high-risk, high-reward and are funded for three years.