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Sung-Mo “Steve” Kang

SOE Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Chancellor Emeritus, UC Merced
President Emeritus, KAIST

E2-545B, Baskin School of Engineering
University of California, Santa Cruz
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064

Tel: (831) 502-7052, Fax: (831)459-4829
E-mail: skang@ucsc.edu

[June 16, 2025] Prof. Kang is named a 2024 Top Scholar by ScholarGPS. https://scholargps.com/scholars/37804027507081/sung-mo-kang?e_ref=bbf4ae5b5f1e9dacd3a8

[May 22, 2025] Prof. Kang’s contribution to BELLMAC-32, a New IEEE Milestone, is highlighted in IEEE Spectrum.

[June 2025] “A New IEEE milestone: Development of the BELLMAC-32 Microprocessors, 1976-1982“, Follow-up articles and AT&T Archive are found in the link along with the old Bell Labs video.

[July 2025] Prof. Kang visits Politecnico di Torino as a Visiting Professor in its Department of Electronics and Telecommunication and presents an invited public talk, “Can We Make a Brain-Scale Neuromorphic Nanochip?”

[Aug 2025] Prof. Kang’s paper, co-authored with Michael W. Condry, and Victor K. Huang, A New IEEE milestone: Development of the BELLMAC-32 Microprocessors, 1976-1982, is published in the IEEE Circuits and Systems Magazine.

[June 2025] Prof. Kang will deliver lectures for the Global Initiatives of Academic Networks (GIAN) of India on VLSI (CMOS, Memristor) for Neuromorphic Computing from June 23 to June 27, 2025

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzQbfpDPplTTrdbLbJVrmDCPDDGd?projector=1&messagePartId=0.2:

  1. High-performance and low-power VLSI circuits (June 23)
  2. Fundamentals of memristors and memristive devices (June 24)
  3. Memristor circuits and systems (June 25)
  4. Fundamentals of neuromorphic computing (June 26)
  5. Memristors in neuromorphic computing (June 27).

[June 10, 2025] Paper J. Kim, S. M. Kang, and B. S. Kong, A Bio-Inspired Sound Source Localization with Latency-Mediated Unsupervised STDP and Volume Transmission-Induced Proximity Learning, submitted to IEEE Trans. on Neural Networks and Learning Systems.

[May 2025] Prof. Kang served as a Ph.D. Thesis Examiner – Memristor/ReRAM Area (P. Sruthi), Digital University, Kerala, India.

[June 20, 2025] Paper Mandal, P. Mandal, M. Ghosh, and S. M. Kang, Two-MOSFETs-Based Memristor Emulator for Ultra-High Frequency Signal Processing, submitted to IEEE J. on Emerging and Selected Topics.

[May 24, 2025] Paper X. Y. Wang, M. Wu, Z. Li, X. Chen, Z. Cheng, H. Li, H. H.-C. Iu, and S. M. Kang, Modular Memristor Circuits for Pavlov Associative Memory with Scalability, submitted to European Physical Journal Special Topics.

[May 3, 2025] Paper Mehrzad Karamimanesh, S.M. Rasoul Moosavi, Ebrahim Abiri, Kourosh Hassanli, Mahyar Shahsavari, Prashant Kumar, and Sung-Mo Kang, A Fully CMOS Spiking LIF Neuron Implementation for Optimized STDP Learning on Memristor,  submitted to IEEE Trans. on VLSI Systems.

[April 17, 2025] Paper J-T Huang, X-Y Wang, F-Y Pan, H H-C Iu, and S M Kang, Design of Memristor-based Balanced Ternary Full-Adder, submitted to Nonlinear Dynamics (Apr 17 2025)

[April 4, 2025] Paper Jieun Kim; Zhou, Peng; Wi, Unbok; Joo, Bo-Min; Choi, Donguk; Seol, Myeong-Lok; Pulavarthi, Sravya ; Sun, Linfeng; Yang, Heejun; Yu, Woo Jong; Han, Jin-Woo; Kang, Sung-Mo; Kong, Bai-Sun, “Biomimetic Spiking Neural Network based on Monolayer 2D Synapse with Short-Term Plasticity for Auditory Brainstem Processing”, IEEE Trans. on Cognitive and Developmental Systems, vol. 17, no. 2, Apr. 2025, pp. 247-258.

[March 16, 2025] Paper Jagveer Singh Verma, Rajeev Kumar Ranjan, and Sung-Mo Kang, “Memristor-Emulator Crossbar Array-based Object Detection and Recognition,” IEEE Trans. on Circuits and Systems-I, pp. 1-12, Apr. 2025.

[Winter Quarter, 2025] Prof. Kang served on the Ph.D. Thesis Committee for N. Nasiri, UC Santa Cruz.

[Dec. 1, 2024] Paper Kumar, R. Ranjan, and S. M. Kang, “Memristor-Emulating-Integrate-and-Fire (MEIF) Neuron based Fully Neuromorphic Framework for Pattern Recognition,” IEEE Trans. on Circuits and Systems II, vol 71, no. 12, pp. 5024-5028, 2024.

[Dec. 2024] Paper S. M. Kang, “My Experiences With and Inspirations From Circuits and Systems Society,” IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Magazine, December 2024.

[Oct. 2, 2024] Paper X. Y. Wang, X. Chen, J. Zhou, G. Liu, S. M. Kang, S. K. Nandi, “A Balanced Ternary Memristor-NMOS Logic Family and Its Application,” IEEE Trans. on Circuits and Systems I, vol. 71, no. 10, pp. 4560-4573.

[Fall Quarter, 2024] Prof. Kang served on the Ph.D. Thesis Committee of S. Feng, UC Santa Cruz.

[Aug. 2024] Paper P. Sharma, R. Ranjan, S. M. Kang, “A Compact Electronically Tunable Meminductor Emulator Model and Its Application,” IEEE CAS Magazine, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 8-18

[Aug. 4, 2024] Paper “Biomimetic Spiking Neural Network based on Monolayer 2D Synapse with Short-Term Plasticity for Auditory Brainstem Processing” has been accepted for IEEE Trans. on Cognitive and Developmental Systems.

[Aug. 2, 2024] Paper “Memristor-Emulating-Integrate-and-Fire (MEIF) Neuron based Fully Neuromorphic Framework for Pattern Recognition” has been submitted to IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs.

[May 2024] Paper X. Y. Wang, J. Zhou, C. Dong, C. Jin, J. Eshraghian, H, Iu, S. M. Kang, “A Memristor Crossbar Based on A Novel Ternary Memristor Model,” Nonlinear Dynamics, vol. 112, no. 9, pp. 7583-7596.

[Apr. 21, 2024] Paper Sagar et al., “A Compact Memristor Emulator for Novel IC Applications: Its Design and Experimental Validation,” Chaos, Solitons, and Fractals 183 (2024).

[April 2024] Paper P. Kumar et al., “A Memristor Emulation in 180-nm CMOS Process for Spiking Signal Generation and Chaos Application,” IEEE Trans. on Circuits and Systems I, vol. 71, no. 4, pp. 1757-1770.

[Feb. 1, 2024] Paper “A compact electronically tunable meminductor emulator model and its application” has been submitted to IEEE CAS Magazine.

[Feb. 1, 2024] Paper “Design method for unbalanced ternary logic family based on binary memristors” has been published in Nonlinear Dynamics.

[Mar. 20, 2024] Paper “A memristor crossbar based on a novel ternary memristor model” has been published in Nonlinear Dynamics.

[Aug. 2, 2024] Paper “A Memristor Emulation in 180-nm CMOS Process for Spiking Signal Generation and Chaos Application” has been published in IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers.

[Jan. 19, 2024] Paper “FPGA Synthesis of Ternary Memristor-CMOS Decoders for Active Matrix Microdisplays” has been published in  IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers.

[Jan. 10, 2024] Paper “A Qualitative Approach for the Design of a Locally Active Memristor-Based Neuron Circuit” has been published in the 2023 30th IEEE International Conference on Electronics, Circuits and Systems (ICECS).

[July 1, 2023] Paper S. Surrender, R. Ranjan, S.-M. Kang, Resistorless Floating/Grounded Memristor Emulator Model With Electronic Tunability, submitted to IEEE Trans. on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs, vol. 70, Issue: 7, July 2023) Page(s): 2340 – 2344.

[Nov. 23, 2022] Paper “Gradient-based Neuromorphic Learning on Dynamic RRAM arrays” has been published in IEEE Journal on Emerging and Selected Topics in Circuits and Systems.

[Sep. 13, 2022] Paper “Resistorless Floating / Grounded Memristor Emulator Model with Electronic Tunability” is submitted to IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs.

[Aug. 19, 2022] Prof. Kang will give a plenary talk at the 2022 US-Korea Conference in Washington DC.

[Jul. 15, 2022] Ph.D. candidate Peng Zhou was awarded “Best New Neuromorph” during the 2022 Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop. 

[Jun. 26, 2022] Paper “Gradient-based Neuromorphic Learning on Dynamical RRAM Arrays” is available in arXiv.

[Jul. 1, 2022] Prof. Kang retired and became a professor emeritus and research professor. Read more from the article “Steve Kang celebrates a career of seizing challenges”.

[Jun. 1, 2022] Prof. Kang has served as General Co-Chair of the 2022 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS), May 28-June 1 in Austin, TX.

[May. 31, 2022] Peng presented the paper “A Fully Memristive Spiking Neural Network with Unsupervised Learning” at the 2022 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits & Systems (ISCAS).

[May. 30, 2022] Congratulations to Jason Eshraghian for joining the ECE department as a new assistant professor starting in July 2022.

[Apr. 25, 2022] Peng has been selected to participate in the 2022 Telluride Workshop on Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering, which is the most famous neuromorphic workshop with a long history since the “neuromorphic” area originated.

[Mar. 02, 2022] Paper “Low-Variance Memristor-Based Multi-Level Ternary Combinational Logic” has been published in: IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems–I: Regular Papers.

[Nov. 18, 2021] Paper “How to Build a Memristive Integrate-and-Fire Model for Spiking Neuronal Signal Generation” has been published in: IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems–I: Regular Papers. We are honored to have these international cooperations among Germany, Korea, the University of Michigan, UCB, and UCSC.

[Oct. 1, 2021] Prof. Kang gave a zoom talk on “Memristor Neurons and Synapses, and Future On-Chip Integration for Brain-Scale Neuromorphic Computing” at the 7th Memristor and Memristive System Symposium held in Italy.

[Sep. 9, 2021] Prof. Kang will give a seminar as an ECE Distinguished Colloquium speaker on Memristive Neuromorphic Computing Beyond Moore’s Law at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

[May. 21, 2021] Prof. Kang gave a webinar on memristor neurons and synapses for neuromorphic computing to the neuroscience faculty group of UCSC.

[May. 14, 2021] We received the Faculty Research Grant for ‘Bio-Inspired Memristive Spiking Neural Network for Machine Learning‘ research from the Committee on Research of the University of California, Santa Cruz.

[Mar. 23, 2021] Paper “A 3-D Reconfigurable RRAM Crossbar Inference Engine” will be presented at the IEEE ISCAS 2021.

[Mar. 12, 2021] Prof. Kang will give a talk for the Indian Institute of Information Technology Guwahati regarding VLSI-based system design.

[Mar. 5, 2021] Prof. Kang will give a webinar as a distinguished speaker “The Roles of Memristors for Acceleration of Neuromorphic Computing Systems” for Duke University.

[Feb. 15, 2021] Paper “System-Theoretic Methods for Designing Bio-Inspired Mem-Computing Memristor Cellular Nonlinear Networks” has been approved for production and accepted for publication in Frontiers in Nanotechnology, section Nanodevices.

[Dec. 12, 2020] In Memory of Prof. C. L.  Dave Liu.

[Nov. 24, 2020] The ECE Intelligent Sensors recruitment is up and accepting applicants on recruit.ucsc.edu! The initial review date (IRD) is January 25, 2021. Applicant link: https://recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF00973.

[Sep. 10, 2020] The paper by A. Ascoli et al. and S. M. Kang, “Image Processing by Cellular Memcomputing Structures”, received the Best Paper Award in Electronics of the IEEE International Conf. on 2020 Modern Circuits and Systems Technology (MOCAST), Bremen, Germany.

[Sep. 20, 2020] The paper by X. Wang et al. and S. M. Kang, “High-Density Memristor-CMOS Ternary Logic Family”, accepted to IEEE Trans. on Circuits and Systems I.

[Jul. 17, 2020] Prof. Kang gave a Webinar on “CMOS-Memristor Nano Electronics for Neuromorphic Computing”, to Indus University.

[Apr. 26 2019] The paper by F. Koushan and S. M. Kang, “Resistance-Based Embedded Non-Volatile Memories as Synaptic Devices in Spiking Neural Networks”, IEEE Workshop on Memories and Electron Devices has been accepted for presentation in Boise, ID.

[May 26, 2019] The paper authored by J. K. Eshraghian, J. Lee, S. Baek, O. Kavehei, N. Ganganath, W. Lei, H. Iu, D.-S. Jeong, K.-R. Cho and S. M. Kang “CrossStack: a 2.5-D Reconfigurable ReRAM Crossbar Inference Engine”, has been accepted for Lecture presentation at the 2019 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS), Sapporo, Japan.

[Mar. 19, 2019] Paper ”Analog Weights in ReRAM DNN Accelerators”, co-authored by Jason Eshraghian, S. M. Kang, et al. has received the best paper award from the Artificial Intelligence Circuits and Systems (AICAS) 2019 conference in Taiwan.

[Jul. 01, 2018] Prof. Kang visited the Technical University of Munich for July and August 2018 under Alexander Von Humboldt Award for the U.S. Senior Scientists program.

[Mar. 01, 2018] Mr. Dong-Uk Choi joined NISL to work on an optofluidic sensor system jointly with Prof. Holger Schmidt’s group.

[Mar. 01, 2018] Prof. Bai-Sun Kong of SungKyunKwan University (SKKU) in Seoul, Korea is visiting NISL from March 2018 to March 2019 to collaborate on neuromorphic computing.

[Jan. 09, 2018] “Formulation and Implementation of Nonlinear Integral Equations to Model Neural Dynamics Within the Vertebrate Retina,” has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Neural Systems by  S. Baek, J.K. Eshraghian, N. Iannella,  K. Cho, Y.S. Goo, J.H. Kim, S.M. Kang, and K. Eshraghian.

[Jan. 01, 2018] Ms. Peng Zhou joined NISL to work on neuromorphic computing.

[Sep. 30, 2017] Professor Kang delivered a keynote talk “The fourth Industrial Revolution and Nanoscience and Engineering” at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, for its 50th anniversary of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering on September 30.

[Sep. 30, 2017] Professor Kang was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo on September 30, 2017.

[Jun. 20, 2017] Prof. Kang completed teaching EE222 High-Speed Low-Power Integrated Circuits and EE103 Signals and Systems for the Spring 2017 quarter.

[Jun. 10-12] Prof. Kang visited King Abdullah International Medical Center and attended its Board of Executive Directors meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

[Jun. 8, 2017] Prof. Kang visited Adesto Technologies, Santa Clara for potential research collaboration.

[May. 28-31, 2017] An NISL affiliate, Jason Eshraghian of Chungbuk National University, South Korea, presented a paper at the 2017 ISCAS in Baltimore, MD, “Maximization of Crossbar Array Memory Using Fundamental Memristor Theory.”

[May. 9, 2017] Prof. Kang presented a seminar at the Oregon State University on “The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Future of Nanoelectronics.”

[Mar. 1, 2017] Foroozan Koushan, Ph.D. student, joined NISL.

[Feb. 22, 2017] Prof. Kang completed his presidency at KAIST as the 15th president (Feb. 23, 2013-Feb. 22, 2017).

[May. 26, 2015] Prof. Kang was awarded CASS John Choma Education Award, at the ISCAS-2015, Lisbon, Portugal.

[Dec. 23, 2014] Congratulations on Le Zheng’s doctoral defense. Title: Memristor-based Ternary Content Addressable Memory for Data-Intensive Applications.

[Jan. 20, 2014] The completely revised 4th Edition of the classical textbook entitled “CMOS Digital Integrated Circuits: Analysis and Design“, co-authored by Professor Sung-Mo (Steve) Kang (UCSC and President of KAIST, Korea), Professor Yusuf Leblebici (Director of LSM) and Professor Chulwoo Kim (Department of Electrical Engineering, Korea University), has been published by McGraw-Hill, under ISBN: 0073380628. This title is being used as a leading textbook on CMOS VLSI Design in major universities worldwide, since its first publication in 1996.

[May. 20, 2014] Prof. Kang was awarded the Doctor of Science Honoris Causa by Fairleigh Dickinson University.

[Feb. 27, 2013] Prof. Kang was appointed as the 15th President of KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), Daejeon, Korea.