Dr. Cory Merkel joined the RIT computer engineering department in 2018. He earned his BS and MS degrees in computer engineering (2011) and a Ph.D. in microsystems engineering (2015), all from RIT. From 2016 to 2018, Dr. Merkel was a research electronics engineer with the Information Directorate, Air Force Research Lab. His current research focuses on mapping of AI algorithms, primarily artificial neural networks, to mixed-signal hardware and the design of brain-inspired computing systems using emerging technologies such as memristors. He has published his work in several peer-reviewed conferences, journals, and books, and is also engaged in a number of STEM outreach activities.