Professor Nader Bagherzadeh
NBTEK Consulting

Nader Bagherzadeh, Ph.D.

Professor of Computer Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine.

Nader Bagherzadeh is a professor of computer engineering at UC Irvine, where he previously served as department chair (1998–2003). His research spans computer architecture, reconfigurable computing, VLSI chip design, Network-on-Chip (NoC), 3D ICs, embedded systems, sensor networks, memory systems, and computer graphics. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE, 2014) for contributions to coarse-grained reconfigurable processor architectures and has authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications.

Consulting Focus

NBTEK partners with research teams and technology organizations seeking breakthrough silicon systems. Professor Bagherzadeh brings a rare blend of academic depth and industry experience from his time at AT&T Bell Labs (1980–1984), providing actionable guidance from early architecture trade studies through tape-out readiness.

  • System-on-Chip (SoC) architecture for high-performance and low-power designs.
  • Network-on-Chip and 3D IC communication fabrics, including wired and wireless NoC.
  • Reconfigurable computing and coarse-grained accelerator architectures.
  • Embedded and memory systems optimization for real-time workloads.
  • Hardware/software co-design for graphics, signal processing, and AI pipelines.
  • Fault-tolerant and energy-aware VLSI design strategies.

Education

  • Ph.D., Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (1987)
  • M.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (1979)
  • B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (1977)

Research Leadership

Professor Bagherzadeh leads research in scalable SoC platforms based on Network-on-Chip architectures that connect hundreds of cores on a single die. His group advances low-power routers, mapping and scheduling algorithms, fault-tolerant NoC designs, and 3D IC integration using Through-Silicon Vias (TSVs) and wireless interconnects.

Selected Publications & Impact

Representative papers relevant to advanced computing systems, reconfigurable hardware, and embedded design. Citation counts reflect broad research influence.

  • MorphoSys: An integrated reconfigurable system for data-parallel and computation-intensive applications IEEE Transactions on Computers (2000) · 1,321 citations
  • Design and implementation of the MorphoSys reconfigurable computing processor Journal of VLSI Signal Processing Systems (2000) · 228 citations
  • Power-aware scheduling under timing constraints for mission-critical embedded systems Design Automation Conference (2001) · 154 citations
  • A framework for reconfigurable computing: Task scheduling and context management IEEE Transactions on VLSI Systems (2002) · 122 citations
  • A scalable register file architecture for dynamically scheduled processors PACT (1996) · 121 citations
  • Performance study of a multithreaded superscalar microprocessor HPCA (1996) · 118 citations
  • Optimal Ring Embedding in Hypercubes with Faulty Links FTCS (1992) · 118 citations
  • Efficient Mitchell's approximate log multipliers for convolutional neural networks IEEE Transactions on Computers (2018) · 166 citations
  • A wireless network-on-chip design for multicore platforms Euromicro (2011) · 141 citations
  • The effects of approximate multiplication on convolutional neural networks IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computing (2021) · 107 citations

Notable Works

  • MorphoSys: an integrated reconfigurable system for data-parallel applications.
  • Design and implementation of the MorphoSys reconfigurable computing processor.
  • Power-aware scheduling for mission-critical embedded systems.
  • Optimal ring embedding in hypercubes with faulty links.
  • Scalable register file architecture for dynamically scheduled processors.
  • A framework for reconfigurable computing: task scheduling and context management.
  • Performance study of a multithreaded superscalar microprocessor.

Awards & Recognition

  • IEEE Fellow (2014) for contributions to coarse-grained reconfigurable processors.
  • Khwarizmi International Award, 27th Session (2014).
  • Best Paper Award, IEEE Transactions on VLSI Design (2002).
  • Best Paper Award, Asia and South Pacific Design Automation Conference (2002).