Hyoyoung Jeong Receives Outstanding Early Career Faculty Research Award

The UC Office of the President has selected Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Hyoyoung Jeong to receive an Early Career Faculty Research Excellence Award.  

In their first year, the UCOP Early Career Faculty Research Excellence Awards seek to advance the university’s commitment to the scholarship and creative activity of early career faculty across all 10 UC campuses. There are 60 total awardees, with recipients receiving a $50,000 prize to support their research 

Jeong, an expert in autonomous wireless electronics, will use the award to focus on creating a device that detects and mitigates seizures in children with pediatric epilepsy. He plans to combine a biodegradable, wireless device implanted inside the skull paired with an “electronic tattoo” — a device attached to the skin. The tattoo would detect seizures and power the implant to deliver pulses to the brain. 

“Current epilepsy technologies are largely designed for adults and are not suitable for pediatric patients due to anatomical mismatch, infection risks from transdermal electrodes, repeated surgeries, and device failure caused by growth-related strain,” he wrote. “These limitations create a critical gap in care during the early developmental years.” 

The implant would be designed to dissolve into biocompatible byproducts when triggered by an external electromagnet or other device once the child is old enough for a permanent form of treatment. 

Jeong noted that epilepsy is the most prevalent — and comes with the most severe consequences — in infants and children. 

His project is titled, “Establishing Growth-Accommodating, Biodegradable Neuromodulation Systems for Children with Epilepsy.” 

Jeong joined UC Davis in 2022 after a postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University.