Tomás Palacios appointed director of ISN

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has named Tomás Palacios, the Clarence J. LeBel Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, as the new director of the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN). Palacios assumed the role as of February 4, 2026, while continuing to serve as the director of the Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL).

The appointment was announced on February 4, 2026 in an email from Prof. Ian Waitz, MIT Vice President for Research, to the ISN community.

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to let you know that Tomás Palacios has agreed to lead the MIT Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN) as director, effective today. Tomás has directed the Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL) since 2022 and will continue in that role. As a leader in nanoscience and technology and a highly effective external advocate for cross-sector research partnerships, Tomás brings the energy, ideas, and connections that will most effectively advance ISN going forward.

He succeeds John “JJ” Joannopoulos (1947–2025), the Francis Wright Davis Professor, who led ISN for almost 20 years. JJ passed away last August and is remembered as an extraordinary researcher and a generous mentor.

The ISN is a University-Affiliated Research Center (UARC) funded by the U.S. Army to apply MIT’s strengths in fundamental nanotechnology research to projects that would make exceptional improvements to the protection, survivability, and mission capabilities of military units. In collaboration with industry, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the Army, and other U.S. military services, ISN transitions promising technologies for both commercial and defense applications.

I’m grateful to Raúl Radovitzky, who has ably led ISN during the past five months as interim director, and to the members of the search advisory group led by Tim Swager, who provided thorough and insightful input on the next phase for ISN.

As director, Tomás will lead ISN’s research mission and maintain strong relationships with the Army Research Office and other collaborators. He possesses a special ability to build communities within MIT and with external partners, bringing remarkable energy and momentum to this work. He also has a very strong sense of service to the nation and to MIT, as has been evident in his continuing leadership of MTL.

The Clarence J. Lebel Professor in Electrical Engineering, Tomás joined the MIT faculty in 2006 and has led MTL as director since December 2022. His research group creates new semiconductor devices and systems that take advantage of the physics of new materials, including atomically thin semiconductors and gallium nitride (GaN). Spanning physics to system-level prototyping, his expertise has contributed to smaller, faster, more energy-efficient electronics designed for use in telecommunications, quantum computing, data centers, and even the extreme environment of the surface of Venus (or high-temperature applications closer to home). 

A co-founder of companies such as Finwave Semiconductor, Inc., Vertical Semiconductors, and CDimension, Inc., Tomás has taken important steps to advance his research group’s microelectronics innovations into commercial development. Tomás received his PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his undergraduate degree in telecommunications engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. A fellow of IEEE, he has been a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the 2012, 2019, and 2024 IEEE EDS George E. Smith Award, and the NSF, ONR, and DARPA Young Faculty Awards.

Please join me thanking Raúl for his excellent service to ISN these past several months, and in congratulating Tomás on his new role.

Sincerely,

Ian A. Waitz
Vice President for Research