John Lazenby: : Research Opportunities: Center for Reliable & Trusted Electronics: Indiana University

Bio

Research Assistant for Dr. Adrian Ildefonso in the HERMES Lab

John Lazenby currently attends Indiana University, pursuing a Ph.D degree in Intelligent Systems Engineering with a focus in silicon photonics, microelectronics and radiation effects engineering. John works as a research assistant on various projects involving programmable photonics, electrical system analysis, and instrumentation. While focusing on radiation effects engineering, John enjoys learning other languages and playing violin.

Research

Radiation Reliability of Tunable Photonics

Higher data-rates for space systems have created a need for faster uplink / downlink communication. Optical Links solve this problem with faster speed and lower power use. Tunable ring resonators are newer devices which allow for the building of reliable optical links. I am designing a radiation campaign to test the tunable devices for next generation optical links.

A graph of a photonic waveguide which can turn on/off through a voltage pulse. This photonic waveguide is the building block to tunable ring resonators. This measurement was taken by John at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane.

Radiation Testing in Microelectronics Intern

John worked as an Amentum intern with the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in Crane Indiana during the summer of 2025. While interning, John conducted radiation tests with a linear accelerator, a Bremsstrahlung radiation source, and a cobalt chamber.

Undergrad Thesis: Probabilistic Risk Assessment for Rapid Part Replacement

Large satellite systems are difficult to analyze for weakness to space radiation, but most risk comes from individual devices. John used a risk assessment model to predict part failure at the satellite memories. This work helps engineers identify and replace vulnerable parts with reliable alternatives