Electric propulsion, high efficiency ion and Hall thrusters, cathodes, high voltage engineering, microwave devices and microwave communications, pulsed power.

• Member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE)
• Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
• Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS)
• 2016, UCLA Engineering Alumni Professional Achievement Award
• 2015, NASA Space Technology Award and JPL Magellan Award for Technical Achievement
• 2014, IEEE John R. Pierce Award for Excellence in Vacuum Electronics
• 2013, AIAA Best Paper Award, Joint Propulsion Conference (2005, 2012, 2013)
• 2011, NASA Engineering Achievement Medal and NASA Inventions and Contributions Award
• 2009, International Electric Propulsion Conference Best Paper Award
• 2004, IEEE William Dunbar High Voltage Achievement Award
• 2002, Boeing Technical Fellow
• 2000, Boeing Satellite Systems President’s Honor Award
• 2000, Hughes Electronics Chairman’s Award
• 1998, Hughes Outstanding Patent Award
• 1996, Hughes Research Laboratory Outstanding Published Paper Award (1993, 1996)
• 1992, Hughes Electronics Achievement Awards
• 1981, UCLA Outstanding Engineering Ph.D. Candidate
• 1980, IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Society National Graduate Student Award

Holds 52 patents, authored or co-authored over 250 journal and conference papers, authored one textbook and 11 book chapters.