Andrew Fong
Global Product Management & Marketing Director, Applied Materials | LinkedIn
B.S. Electrical Engineering, '11
Andrew graduated from UC Davis ECE with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 2011. Andrew is currently the Global Product Manager for logic conductor etch products at Applied Materials where he enjoys working with all of the leading-edge logic and foundry customers, and determining winning product solutions that enable the future of smaller and more powerful transistor devices. In 2021, Andrew was the recipient of the ECE Rising Star Alumni Award.
We took a moment to chat with Andrew to learn more about what technology excites him, and also to reflect on his biggest influences when he was a UC Davis undergraduate.
What research or technology are you most excited about right now, and why?
I think the inflections to next generation transistor architectures (gate-all-around, forksheet, CFET, etc.) are incredibly exciting in how they push us to improve nanoscale, and now angstrom scale, fabrication technology, and ultimately enable more capability to do more and connect with each other in our everyday lives.
How did your time at UC Davis impact you and/or prepare you for your career?
UCD ECE showed me just how broad the field of EE is, and how there are many opportunities outside of what one might think the realm of EE "just is". The foundational upper division courses across multiple segments were very helpful in giving me the understanding to pursue the specialties I found most captivating.
Did you have a favorite course or instructor at UC Davis?
The EEC140 series of courses really drew me into the world of semiconductor device technology and fabrication. I tried to take every course available there. Professor Islam was instrumental in nurturing my interest in the field and pointing me in the right direction to discover more about it on my own.
What advice would you give to young people who are currently seeking a degree in electrical and computer engineering?
I would encourage ECE students to try and find out how ECE can fit into their passions and to explore those roles. Additionally, I want to stress how important it is to be able to communicate your ideas effectively, because a huge part of leadership is getting people on board with your ideas. The last piece of advice I'd like to give is to understand how business processes work, because you either need to work within them, or mold them to be efficient and keep everybody on the team aligned to the right goals.