2/18/2026 Cassandra Smith
From quantum systems to DNA-integrated electronics and blue energy harvesting, ECE emeritus professor at The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Jean-Pierre Leburton's work points toward a new paradigm beyond traditional transistor scaling.
Written by Cassandra Smith
When emeritus professor Jean-Pierre Leburton learned he had received a fellowship from the International Academy of Artificial Intelligence Sciences, he was filled with joy.
“This is not something to further my career,” Leburton said. “It’s more a consecration of my work.”
For decades, Leburton, a theoretical physicist, has pushed the boundaries of nanoscale semiconductor devices. His research has explored artificial intelligence, biology and energy.
His work began with research into improving conventional silicon devices, studying how energetic “hot” charge carriers behave under strong electric fields. He then moved to quantum-confined systems — first two-dimensional structures, then one-dimensional channels, and finally quantum dots capable of manipulating individual electron spins.
“It’s not about performance,” he said. “It’s about increasing functionality.”
Leburton said simply shrinking components is no longer enough. Scientists eed new avenues, and he saw the answer in a personal byway: hybrid systems that combine semiconductor technology with biology.
DNA has the ability to store a massive amount of genetic information. The human genome contains about 3 billion base pairs in a single haploid set. One part of Leburton's research explores using nanoscale semiconductor membranes to read DNA electrically. A DNA molecule is threaded through a tiny pore, and subtle changes in current are measured as each base passes. This approach integrates nanotechnology directly into genomic analysis.
This research has two major implications: improved biomedical diagnostics and the possibility of using synthetic DNA for ultra-dense data storage.
To Leburton, biology and electronics are an ideal pair. Semiconductor technology processes information at high speed with exceptional reliability. Living systems, meanwhile, process information slowly but with enormous complexity.
“It is complexity versus speed and reliability,” he said.
He believes this combination could help researchers dramatically increase device functionality for future information-processing systems.
A recent discovery by his group had Leburton bursting with excitement. He said the breakthrough highlights the power of theoretical insight. While studying ionic currents flowing through nanoscale channels — a system relevant to “blue energy” harvesting from saltwater — Leburton expected minimal efficiency.
“I expected efficiency to be a fraction of a percent,” he said. “But to my surprise, the opposite happened.” His calculations predicted amplification: The induced electronic current in a semiconductor could exceed the original ionic current.
Experiments soon confirmed the effect — and showed amplification even greater than his original prediction.
“It made me feel good,” he said. “It showed we are dealing with true natural phenomena. Because we are starting with a basic physical principle and we arrived at a conclusion that is directly confirmed by an experiment.” He continued, saying that confirmation is hard to come by as a theoretical physicist.
Leburton’s work points toward a future where biology and physics intersect — where nanoscale devices do more than compute quickly—they combine biological complexity with semiconductor speed and reliability.
The AAIS fellowship honors more than his past achievements. It highlights a shift in thinking — from making electronics smaller to making them fundamentally more capable.
In that shift, Leburton sees the future of the field.
Leburton was also nominated for full membership in Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society. In a letter to Leburton, society officials said, "For over a century, Sigma Xi has supported exceptional researchers across all scientific fields." As a member, Leburton has access to various resources and networking opportunities to share his research and learn from scientists and researchers from all over the world.
GCOE Affiliations
Jean-Pierre Leburton is a Gregory Stillman Emeritus Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is also a resident professor emeritus in the Holonyak Micro & Nanotechnology Laboratory.