Dr. David K. Abe

Dr. David K. Abe joined DARPA in January 2020 as a program manager in the Microsystems Technology Office (MTO). His research interests include the generation of coherent electromagnetic radiation using electron beams, radio frequency (RF) directed energy devices and applications, electromagnetic coupling and effects on electronics, and high power millimeter-wave/sub-millimeter-wave devices for sensors and communications. Prior to joining DARPA, Abe was the head of the Electromagnetics Technology Branch at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). At NRL, he led a multi-disciplinary team of scientists and engineers in the pursuit of basic and applied research in vacuum electronic (VE) and solid-state technologies. His group at NRL helped to pioneer new wide bandgap materials and devices, phase change materials and applications, advances in electromagnetic theory and 3D computational tools, and millimeter-wave VE amplifiers with record power and bandwidth performance. Abe has co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and conference papers on VE technology. To support research and technology in this area, he is active in the global VE community and serves on both the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Science Society PSAC Executive Committee and the IEEE Electron Devices Society Vacuum Electronics Technical Committee. He is also an editor for the IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices and the IEEE Journal of the Electron Devices Society. Abe received a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from Harvey Mudd College, a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of California, Davis, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park. In 2014, he and his team received an ASN RD&A Dr. Delores M. Etter Top Scientists and Engineers Award for their work on a novel millimeter-wave vacuum electronics amplifier. He was elected a fellow of the IEEE in 2015.