Professor Aris Christou is Chairman of the Materials and Nuclear Engineering Department, University of Maryland. He is also affiliated with the University's CALCE Electronic Packaging Research Center and the NSF Optical Components, and Packaging Center. Prof. Christou received his Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1971. He conducts research in advanced compound semiconductor monolithic integrated circuits, optoelectronic materials and devices, manufacturing science and reliability. Dr. Christou was previously a Professor of Electrical Engineering at Rutgers University and Head of the Surface Physics Branch of the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC. Since 1971, he has carried out basic research in microwave materials, semiconductor heterostructures, process science, metalizations and reliability. He has authored two books and has been the editor of three other books. Dr. Christou has more than 150 publications in archival journals, 12 patents, and has organized international conferences in GaAs devices materials and reliability, is a Fellow of the IEEE, a Fullbright Fellow, a recipient of the DoD-Berman Publication Awards, and an IPA Guest Lecturer.