Aaron Franklin

Aaron Franklin is the Edmund T. Pratt, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering, holding a joint appointment in the Department of Chemistry. He also serves as Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the Pratt School of Engineering. Franklin received his B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University in 2004 and his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in 2008. After completing his doctorate, he worked for six years as a Research Staff Member in the Physical Sciences and Silicon departments at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York. In 2014, he joined Duke University as an Associate Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Chemistry, advancing to full Professor in 2020 and receiving the Addy Professor title in the same year. Additional leadership roles include Director of Graduate Studies for ECE from 2017 to 2021 and Associate Dean for Doctoral Education from 2021 to 2023.

The research in Franklin's group centers on the use of one-dimensional and two-dimensional nanomaterials for high-performance nanoscale devices, low-cost printed and recyclable electronics, and biomedical sensing systems. He is particularly recognized for his contributions to carbon nanotube transistors, including device scaling, transport studies, and advanced integration techniques such as printing. Franklin has published more than 120 peer-reviewed papers and holds over 50 issued patents. Notable publications include "Capillary flow printing of submicrometre carbon nanotube transistors" in Nature Electronics (2025), "Impact of Contact Gating on Scaling of Monolayer 2D Transistors Using a Symmetric Dual-Gate Structure" in ACS Nano (2026), and "All-Carbon Thin-Film Transistors Using Water-Only Printing" in Nano Letters (2023). His innovations have translated into practical applications, including co-founding start-ups like Tyrata, Inc., acquired by Bridgestone in 2023. Among his honors are election as a Fellow of the IEEE in 2024 for contributions to transistor scaling and carbon nanotube applications in electronics, Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2024, the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring in 2021, and the Capers & Marion McDonald Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research in 2020.

Professional Email: aaron.franklin@duke.edu