Ahmedullah Aziz, an assistant professor in the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), was recently recognized as one of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Technology Review’s 2025 Innovators Under 35 for the Asia Pacific region (TR35 Asia Pacific) for his transformative work in superconducting electronics.
“It is a humbling experience to be recognized among such an inspiring group of innovators,” Aziz said. “To me, this honor affirms not only the value of curiosity-driven research but also the responsibility to ensure our work addresses real technological and societal challenges.”
Every year since 1999, the MIT Technology Review’s “Innovators under 35” (TR35) program has recognized young professionals from across the world who are performing transformative work at the cutting edge of their fields.
“I feel I can speak for EECS in saying we are incredibly proud of Dr. Aziz being included on this very prestigious list, but we are also not at all surprised,” said EECS Professor and Department Head Garret Rose. “Dr. Aziz is a rising star in his field of device and circuit co-design, and he has made very interesting contributions relating to cryogenic electronics. It continues to be a true pleasure having him on the faculty and I look forward to many more exciting accomplishments to come.”
International Recognition
This year’s TR35 Asia Pacific awards were conferred at the Meet 35 Summit on September 21 and 22, 2025 in Shanghai, China. The 35 honorees each presented three-minute summaries of their work, emphasizing both their experiences of innovation and their perspective on developing trends in their fields.
“I focused on our efforts to reimagine superconducting electronics by combining them with other physical phenomena such as ferroelectricity, phase transitions, and memristive behavior,” said Aziz, who attended the summit virtually. “This co-design approach allows us to unlock new types of logic, memory, and neuromorphic circuits that are far more energy-efficient and scalable—which is critical for the future of artificial intelligence and quantum systems.”
Aziz said his recognition—and the innovations behind it—would not have been possible without his dedicated students, collaborators, and mentors at the University of Tennessee, including the staff at the UT Research Foundation. He also credited his family’s constant support.
Being named an Innovator Under 35 has helped Aziz and the global scientific community celebrate all the work he has done so far, but he is far from finished.
“I see this honor as encouragement to continue pushing boundaries, mentoring the next generation of researchers, and ensuring that technological progress translates into real-world impact,” he said.
Contact
Izzie Gall (egall4@utk.edu)