Abrar Akram

I am an Assistant Professor of Microelectronics (IC Design) in the EE Unit of the Faculty of ITC, Tampere University, and a silicon-proven integrated circuit designer with over a decade of experience in advanced CMOS technologies. My research bridges analog/mixed-signal IC design, integrated bioelectronics, and fine-grained power delivery architectures for next-generation SoCs and biomedical implants. I have demonstrated sustained innovation in ultra-low-power digital LDOs, high-efficiency power management, wireless power transfer, and biosensing ICs. My works have been published in premier IEEE venues, including ISSCC, JSSC, TPEL, TBioCAS, and TCAS-II, and have earned multiple competitive awards from the Korean Semiconductor Industry Association. 
Beyond research, I am deeply committed to mentoring and training the next generation of IC designers, combining rigorous theoretical foundations with industry-relevant silicon implementation expertise.

• Analog & Mixed-Signals IC Design
• Integrated Power Delivery Networks & Power Management in SoCs
• Wireless Powered Implantable Systems & Biomedical ICs
• On-chip Electrochemical Sensing
• Sustainable and Edge Intelligent IoTs

• Best Paper Award (Gold): IEEE ICEIC, Jeju, South Korea, Jan. 2021.
• Company/Corporate Award: Korean Semiconductor Industry Association (KSIA), 2018.
• President Award: Korean Semiconductor Industry Association (KSIA), 2016.

1. Intelligent On-Chip Power Delivery Networks for Scalable SoCs: Redefine on-chip power management through:
   Vision: Enable scalable, fine-grained power delivery for next-generation AI and heterogeneous edge processors.
    
2. Establish Wireless-Powered Implantable Bioelectronics Platforms: Advance wireless-powered biomedical ICs that eliminate bulky batteries and enable long-term implantability:
   Vision: Create fully integrated, miniaturized, battery-free implantable systems.
    
3. Enable Sustainable and Self-Powered IoT Microsystems: Design IC solutions that support sustainable IoT ecosystems:
   Vision: Build IC foundations for maintenance-free IoT infrastructures.
    
4. Architect Next-Generation Energy-Autonomous Edge IC Platforms: Develop ultra-low-power analog and mixed-signal IC architectures that enable self-sustaining intelligent edge systems through:
   Vision: Move from energy-efficient circuits to energy-autonomous edge nodes.

• Adaptive Power Delivery & Management for SoC Platforms
• Integrated Sensing Interfaces & Bioelectronic Circuits
• Sustainable and Self-Powered IoT Microsystems
• Energy-Efficient Mixed-Signal Integrated Systems

Analog and Mixed-Signals Integrated Circuits Design

Postdoctoral Associate: Sep. 2019 ~ Dec. 2023

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Accomplished Research:

• Ultra-low power CMOS potentiostat IC for glucose sensing ( ISSCC’24, TBioCAS’25)
• Fine-grained power delivery and management in SoC devices (TCASII’21, ACCESS’21, TPE’20, ACCESS’20)
• Wireless power transfer in biomedical implants (Electronics’20, BioCAS’22, TPE’23, TBioCAS’23)
• High-voltage charge-pump for microfluidics-based point-of-care diagnostic IC’s (ISCAS’24)

1. I. A. Wahla, J. Lee, Y. R. Yun, M. A. Akram*, and I. C. Hwang*,       (*corresponding authors)
   “A Fast-Transient Digital LDO with Asynchronous Coarse and Dual-Mode Fine Regulation Loops” 
    IEEE Open Journal of Power Electronics (2026)  doi: 10.1109/OJPEL.2025.3647801      
2. M. A. Akram, A. Aberra, S. J. Kweon, and S. Ha,
    “A 3.7nW Amplifier-less CMOS Potentiostat IC Achieving 129.5dB Dynamic Range for Electrochemical Biosensing”    
     IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems (2025)   doi: 10.1109/TBCAS.2025.3527652
3. M. A. Akram, A. Aberra, S. J. Kweon, and S. Ha
   “An Amplifier-less CMOS Potentiostat IC Consuming 3.7nW Power over Entire Dynamic Range of 129.5dB for Electrochemical Biosensing,” 
   IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2024  doi: 10.1109/ISSCC49657.2024.10454401 
4. J. W. Jang, I. A. Wahla, M. A. Akram*, and I. C. Hwang*              (*corresponding authors)
   “A Fast-Transient Fully-Integrated Digital LDO With Current-Estimation Algorithm Based Coarse Loop” 
   IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics (2024)     doi: 10.1109/TPEL.2023.3328065
5. M. A. Akram and S. Ha,
   “A Differential Rectifier With VTH-Compensation for High-Frequency RF Inputs,”  
     IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems (2023)     doi: 10.1109/TBCAS.2023.3264988    
6. M. A. Akram* and S. Ha 
   “A 434-MHz Bootstrap Rectifier with Dynamic VTH-Compensation for Wireless Biomedical Implants,” 
    IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics (2023)      doi: 10.1109/TPEL.2022.3212090      
7. M. A. Akram, W. Hong, S. Ha, and I. C. Hwang       
   “Capacitor-less Dual-mode All-digital LDO with Δ∑-modulation-based Ripple Reduction” 
    IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems-II: Exp. Briefs (2021)  doi: 10.1109/TCSII.2021.3065388     
8. M. A. Akram, K. S. Kim, S. Ha, and I. C. Hwang
   “Output-Capacitorless Tri-Loop Digital Low-Dropout Regulator Achieving 99.91 % Current Efficiency and 2.87-fs FOM”
   IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics (2021) doi: 10.1109/TPEL.2020.3009451
9. M. A. Akram, W. Hong, and I. C. Hwang
   “Capacitorless Self-Clocked All-Digital Low Dropout Regulator,”
   IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits (2019)           doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2018.2871039
10. M. A. Akram, W. Hong, and I. C. Hwang
    “Fast Transient Fully Standard-Cell-Based All Digital Low-Dropout Regulator with 99.97% Current Efficiency,”
    IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics (2018)      doi: 10.1109/TPEL.2017.2771942