Umesh Mishra, Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), has been awarded the 2025 Central Coast Innovation Award. The honor, presented at the annual Pacific Coast Business Times event at the Santa Barbara Hilton, recognizes his groundbreaking contributions to semiconductor technology and power electronics.
The Central Coast Innovation Awards celebrate emerging technology and entrepreneurship in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. Hosted in collaboration with UCSB’s California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), the event highlights the region’s role as a hub for innovation.
Mishra, a leading expert in gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors, has significantly influenced the field of power electronics. A professor in UCSB’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, he has co-founded two pioneering companies. Nitres, established in 1996, was among the first to develop GaN-based LEDs and transistors before its acquisition by Cree, now Wolfspeed. In 2007, he founded Transphorm, specializing in high-voltage GaN power conversion technology. The company holds over a thousand patents and applications and went public in 2020.
Since becoming the eighth dean of UCSB’s College of Engineering in 2023, Mishra has continued to foster innovation, introducing new initiatives to support faculty and staff. Known for his approachable leadership, he actively engages with students, faculty, and researchers.
His research expertise spans GaN electronics, optoelectronics, oxide-based electronics, non-stoichiometric semiconductors, and vacuum microelectronics. A recognized leader in his field, Mishra is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the National Academy of Inventors.
Mishra’s academic background includes a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University, an MS from Lehigh University, and a B.Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. His contributions continue to shape the future of semiconductor innovation.
