UC Merced Magazine | Commemorative Chronicle

Professor Yangquan Chen (le ) in the lab with graduate researcher Justus Nwoke

...“digital twins,” virtual models that

YANGQUAN CHEN professor, MECHANICAL AND AEROSPACE ENGINEERING JUSTUS NWOKE graduate student

make etching processes smarter, with predictive

maintenance and self-optimizing ab i l i t i e s

Chen's Mechatronics, Embedded Systems and Automation (MESA) Lab partners with Lam Research to tackle industry-driven challenges in semiconductor manufacturing. Its latest work, led by Nwoke, develops “digital twins,” virtual models that make etching processes smarter, with predictive maintenance and self-optimizing abilities. Chen said the collaboration with Lam, a longtime innovator in the semiconductor industry, gives Ph.D. students hands-on experience solving real-world problems. MESA Lab is a multidisciplinary hub exploring unmanned aerial systems, cyber-physical systems, renewable energy modeling, mechatronics, and applied fractional calculus. e shared goal is to build solutions for complex technological needs. UCMERCED MAGAZINE 28