Director of the Mercer XLab
Shayla Sawyer is a Professor in the Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Her Nano-Bio Optoelectronics research program expands the fundamental understanding, engineering processes, and potential applications of hybrid inorganic/organic materials for optoelectronic devices and sensors. This includes the fabrication of nanomaterials from bacteria, fabrication in a solution process, and the development of sensors and complimentary systems. The nano-bio devices are comprised of hybrid inorganic/organic materials what may include semiconductor metal oxide nanostructures, bacteria, conductive polymers, conductive nanostructures, and bio-chemical solutions. Her overall research goal is aimed at effectively fabricating and characterizing novel materials and sensors with consideration of systems that require sensitivity and/or selectivity to bring quantitative measurements in typically qualitative worlds.
Dr. Sawyer is a highly regarded teacher for her unorthodox teaching style. Her classroom innovations have led to leadership across the university for methods that optimize remote teaching during the pandemic. For her work in her most recent course, Electric Circuits, she has received all three of the highest teaching awards at RPI including the Trustee’s Outstanding Teacher Award in 2020. Her Omega Design Labs are an open opportunity to design solutions toward the NAE Grand Challenges or UN Sustainability Goals while aligning them with fundamental concepts in the course.
Dr. Sawyer obtained her PhD in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. As a graduate student, she received the competitive Department of Homeland Security Fellowship. She completed her undergraduate studies with electrical engineering degree from Hampton University as a Merit Scholar, Honors College member, and two-time MEAC champion basketball player. During her four years at Hampton, she received the Female Student Athlete of the Year Award (highest GPA) every year. She has obtained industry experience throughout her education but most recently with GE Global Research in Niskayuna, NY and National Security Technologies Laboratory in Santa Barbara, California. She is married to Christopher Armand and has two sons, Christopher Eren and Simon Adane.