Purdue ECE Prof. Sunil Bhave wins 2026 Wen Ko Technical Leadership Award
Sunil Bhave, professor in Purdue University’s Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has received the 2026 Wen Ko Technical Leadership Award from the Transducer Research Foundation.
The award recognizes researchers with an outstanding record of technical leadership and innovation in areas of interest to the foundation. Bhave was honored at the 2026 Hilton Head Workshop, a leading gathering for researchers working in microsystems, sensors, actuators and related technologies.
Bhave was recognized for his contributions to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), which are microscopic devices that integrate mechanical components, sensors, actuators, and electronics onto a single chip. These tiny structures sense, move, or process information at small scales. MEMS technologies are used in many everyday systems, from smartphones and cars to medical devices and advanced scientific instruments.
“I am deeply honored to receive the Wen Ko Technical Leadership Award, especially because it recognizes a legacy of innovation that has shaped the microsystems community for generations,” said Bhave. “MEMS research is exciting because it allows us to build bridges between fields — connecting engineering, physics, and computing in ways that can open entirely new directions. I am grateful to my current and former graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the OxideMEMS Lab, my colleagues at Purdue and collaborators in industry, national labs and universities across the globe who have helped make this possible.”
According to the award citation, Bhave “has introduced new paradigms for MEMS technologies, demonstrating how microelectromechanical platforms can enable breakthroughs in fields traditionally considered separate from transducers research.” The citation also notes his “rare ability to envision and realize deep integrations between MEMS technology and frontier areas of science and engineering.”
The Wen Ko Technical Leadership Award is named for Professor Wen Hsiung Ko of Case Western Research University (CWRU), a pioneer in microsensors, actuators, integrated microsystems, and a founder of the Transducers Research Foundation and Hilton Head Workshop series.