Jhonathan Prieto Rojas, Ph.D. ☕

Jhonathan Prieto Rojas, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, KFUPM

About me

I am an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia, where I conduct research at the intersection of micro- and nanofabrication, flexible electronics, and intelligent electronic systems. My work aims to translate advances in semiconductor manufacturing into mechanically compliant electronic technologies for wearable sensing, self-powered systems, and next-generation electronic devices. Current research spans flexible and stretchable electronics, thermoelectric energy harvesting, MEMS, advanced fabrication processes, and AI-assisted electronic design, with a strong emphasis on bridging fundamental research and real-world engineering applications. My research has resulted in 36 peer-reviewed journal publications, 5 U.S. patents, more than 2,000 citations (Google Scholar), an h-index of 24, and multiple funded research projects through collaborations with leading academic and industrial partners.
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Education

PhD in Electrical Engineering

Jan. 2011
Jun. 2014

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

MSc in Electrical Engineering

Sep. 2009
Dec. 2010

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

Exchange Student

Oct. 2007
Mar. 2008

Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany

BSc in Electronics Engineering

Jan. 2003
Mar. 2009

National University of Colombia

Research Interests

Flexible & Stretchable Electronics Wearable Electronics Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting Micro- and Nanofabrication MEMS & Semiconductor Manufacturing Origami/Kirigami-inspired Electronics PCB Design Automation AI for Electronic Design
📚 Research Overview

My research focuses on developing flexible, stretchable, and wearable electronic systems enabled by advanced micro- and nanofabrication technologies. The objective is to bridge semiconductor manufacturing with emerging applications in wearable healthcare, energy harvesting, and intelligent electronic systems.

My primary research areas include:

  • Flexible and Stretchable Electronics: Development of mechanically compliant electronic architectures using serpentine, origami, and kirigami-inspired designs to improve reliability under bending and stretching.

  • Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting: Design and fabrication of flexible thermoelectric generators for self-powered wearable sensing systems and low-power IoT applications.

  • Micro- and Nanofabrication: CMOS-compatible fabrication processes, MEMS technologies, thin-film devices, flexible hybrid electronics, and advanced semiconductor manufacturing.

  • AI for Electronic Design: Artificial intelligence and optimization algorithms for PCB autorouting, electronic design automation, and intelligent circuit design.

I welcome collaborations with researchers, industry partners, and students interested in flexible electronics, wearable sensing, semiconductor manufacturing, and intelligent electronic systems.

Featured Publications

Design and Evaluation of LET-Based Soft Hinges for Stress Mitigation in Flexible Copper Interconnects

Flexible and Printed Electronics, 2025
Introduces LET-based soft hinges to reduce stress concentration in flexible copper interconnects, improving the mechanical reliability of flexible printed electronics.
Publisher

Self-Powered End-to-End Wireless Sensor Network for Geophysical Explorations

IEEE Systems Journal, 2025
Development of a self-powered wireless sensing platform integrating energy harvesting and low-power electronics for geophysical exploration.
IEEE Xplore

Beyond Flexible: Unveiling the Next Era of Flexible Electronic Systems

Advanced Materials, 2024
Perspective article discussing the evolution of flexible electronic technologies toward intelligent and multifunctional electronic systems.
Wiley

Paper-Based Origami Flexible and Foldable Thermoelectric Nanogenerator

Nano Energy, 2017
Demonstrates an origami-inspired paper-based thermoelectric generator capable of lightweight, foldable energy harvesting for wearable applications.
ScienceDirect

Stretchable Helical Architecture Inorganic–Organic Hetero Thermoelectric Generator

Nano Energy, 2016
Presents a stretchable thermoelectric generator based on helical architectures for wearable and self-powered electronic systems.
ScienceDirect

Transformational Silicon Electronics

ACS Nano, 2014
Introduces novel concepts for mechanically flexible silicon electronics using advanced semiconductor manufacturing technologies.
ACS Publications


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