Alexandre Kiss

Microengineer · EPFL and MIT
Sensors, silicon devices and energy-efficient memory.

Now: master’s thesis at MIT · Available from September 2027

Alexandre KissCambridge, MA

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About me

I enjoy building hardware, from the first idea to a working prototype. My skills span device physics, microfabrication, electronics and mechanical design, applied above all to sensor technologies.

I follow new technologies closely, from consumer electronics to the chips that power modern computing. What interests me most is the hardware underneath: the silicon, sensors and energy-efficient devices that make each generation smaller, faster and longer-lasting. That is where I want to work, turning advances in materials and device physics into products people use every day.

I am at my best in a team. I like taking the floor, whether presenting to an audience or raising a point when it counts, and I am happy to take the lead when a group needs direction.

Available from September 2027

Download CV Get in touch

Silicon technologies, nanoelectronics & MEMS

Microfabrication · Device physics · Characterisation

Sensors & simulation

COMSOL / FEM · Sensor design · Calibration

Mechatronics & robotics

PCB design · Embedded control · Integration

Timeline

Education

Lycée Ferney-Voltaire
B.Sc. Microengineering, EPFL
M.Sc. Microengineering, EPFL

Research

CERN
Olfactory prosthesis
Ferroelectric devices
MIT · thesis

Industry

Six-axis force sensor

Engineering

Rocket Team
ETML
Xplore
ECO-SENTINEL

Community

Walk of Hope
Leadership camp
FerMUN
Coaching EPFL
TriviaPoly

Personal

Tennis

Faded ends indicate approximate dates; arrows indicate ongoing work.

Swipe sideways through the years

Alongside · Theatre, music and sport

ResearchSept 2026 – present

Visiting researcher, master’s thesis

MIT, Jarillo-Herrero group

I am starting my thesis on polarisation switching in two-dimensional ferroelectrics. I am developing concepts for faster electrical readout and the devices needed to test them.

IndustryMar – Aug 2026

Sensor design intern

Industry, innovation team

I led the six-axis force sensor project and did nearly all of the work myself, from mechanical design and FEM optimisation to readout electronics, data acquisition and calibration, with advice from the team.

ResearchSept – Dec 2025

Research intern, ferroelectric devices

EPFL NanoLab

I modelled gate stacks, designed the layouts, developed the cleanroom process and characterised the devices.

ResearchFeb – June 2025

Research intern, olfactory prosthesis

EPFL LMiS1

I designed the two-channel amplifier board, implemented its drive and modelled the coil–magnet system.

EngineeringSept – Dec 2024

ECO-SENTINEL wildlife monitor

EPFL, product design and systems engineering

In a six-person team, I worked on electronics and acoustic detection for a low-power wildlife monitor.

Education2024 – 2027

M.Sc. Microengineering

EPFL

My Micro/Nanosystems specialisation covers device physics, fabrication, sensing and embedded systems.

EngineeringSept 2023 – Jan 2024

Hardware, Onyx 4.0 Mars rover

Xplore, EPFL student association

I redesigned the rover’s inertial measurement board and upgraded its safety system for the European Rover Challenge.

CommunitySept 2023 – June 2024

First board member and head of judges

TriviaPoly, EPFL

I joined the first board shortly after the president founded the association, and served as head of judges for monthly trivia nights.

EngineeringJul – Aug 2023

Manufacturing engineering intern

ETML, École technique – École des métiers, Lausanne

I used lathes, milling machines and welding to make a clamp, a vise and a working Stirling engine.

EngineeringSept – Dec 2021

System engineer

EPFL Rocket Team

I worked as a system engineer in EPFL’s student rocket team.

CommunitySept 2021 – June 2022

Student mentor

Coaching EPFL

I mentored first-year students and helped organise community events, including a ski weekend.

Education2021 – 2024

B.Sc. Microengineering

EPFL

I studied mechanics, electronics, physics, sensors, control and microfabrication.

CommunitySept 2018 – Jan 2021

President of the Youth Assembly

FerMUN, Model United Nations of Ferney-Voltaire

In 2020 I chaired the Youth Assembly in Geneva, coordinating a team and negotiations on the gender digital divide.

PersonalSummer 2018

Tennis

Mouratoglou Academy, French Riviera

A summer of tennis at the Mouratoglou Academy.

CommunityJul – Aug 2017

Leadership camp

Collège Champittet

I attended a leadership camp at Collège Champittet.

Education2017 – 2020

Secondary education

Lycée international de Ferney-Voltaire

I studied at the Lycée international de Ferney-Voltaire.

ResearchApr – May 2017

Exploratory internship

CERN

I visited labs, attended seminars and explored high-energy physics experimental setups with the researchers running them.

Community2012 – 2020

Marche de l’Espoir

Terre des Hommes Suisse

I took part in Geneva’s Walk of Hope each year, raising money for children’s rights.

PersonalAlongside

Theatre, music and sport

Beyond the lab

Six years of theatre, including two Fort l’Écluse performances; piano, guitar, bass and ukulele; skiing and MIT Golf since 2026.

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Experience and selected projects

01Sept 2026 – present

Time-resolved switching in two-dimensional ferroelectrics

My master’s thesis at MIT studies how polarisation switches in sliding ferroelectrics. Their fast, low-energy switching makes them candidates for the efficient memory that AI and neuromorphic computing need.

My contributionI started this thesis in September 2026. I am developing the concept for a fast readout and the devices needed to resolve a single switching event. The work is at the concept stage; there are no results yet.

Result / statusAim: resolve the time evolution of a single polarisation-switching event

View project

02Mar – Aug 2026

A six-axis force sensor for robot joints

An inductive sensor that measures three forces and three torques for robotic interaction.

My contributionI led the sensor project and carried out almost all of the mechanical design, FEM optimisation, readout electronics, acquisition and calibration. The rest of the team provided advice throughout.

Result / status0.36 %FS accuracy against a reference wrench

View project

03Sept – Dec 2025

Ferroelectric gate stacks for cryogenic electronics

Hafnia-based MFMIS capacitors designed to control how voltage divides across a ferroelectric gate stack at cryogenic temperatures.

My contributionI modelled the stack, designed the electrode layouts, developed the cleanroom process and characterised the devices. Electrode area tuned the internal field.

Result / statusInternal ferroelectric field tuned from 1.3 to 2.0 MV/cm by electrode area alone

View project

04Feb – June 2025

Dual-channel actuation for an olfactory prosthesis

ROSE investigates whether combined stimulation of the nasal cavity can help people recognise smells. I developed its two-channel mechanical stimulation module.

My contributionI designed the two-channel amplifier board, implemented the PWM drive and modelled the coil–magnet system, then tested independent actuator control.

Result / statusTwo actuators driven independently and simultaneously from one board

View project

05Sept – Dec 2024

ECO-SENTINEL: an acoustic wildlife monitor

An acoustic monitor to help count the endangered capercaillie, developed with the Swiss Ornithological Institute and rangers of the Haute Chaîne du Jura.

My contributionIn a six-person product-design team, I was responsible for the electronics and detection approach, including platform selection and power budgeting.

Result / status4 days of measured battery life on 1,100 mAh, against a 30-day requirement

View project

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Other projects

Fall 2025

MoS₂ floating-gate memory

A monolayer MoS₂ transistor with a buried platinum floating gate, studied as a non-volatile memory and a programmable resistance.

Fall 2025

Thermal MEMS actuators

Silicon dioxide cantilevers with chromium heaters, designed, fabricated and measured to compare thermal actuation and resonance with analytical predictions.

Spring 2023

DYNABAL: a flexure force sensor with adjustable stiffness

A flexure-based force-sensor design for 0 to 50 mN measurements, with adjustable stiffness, a zero adjustment and compensation for gravity and acceleration.

Spring 2024

DocBot: a sound-controlled delivery robot

An e-puck 2 robot programmed for a medicine-delivery scenario, with sound commands, distance sensing and a return-to-base sequence.

Xplore student association, 2023 – 2024

Onyx 4.0 Mars rover

I redesigned the rover’s inertial measurement board and upgraded its emergency button, insulation and circuit breaker for the European Rover Challenge.

Physical models for micro/nanosystems, 2024

Mechanical electrometer

A COMSOL model of a torsional resonator for measuring electric charge through electrostatic force and the resulting frequency shift.

MICRO-332, EPFL CMi, 2023

Microfabrication practicals

Six cleanroom practicals covering photolithography, wet and dry etching, and device release.

Mechanical design project, 2022

Épluche-Carotte

A carrot-peeling machine, designed in a team of four in CATIA and drawn to ISO standards.

ETML, Lausanne, Jul – Aug 2023

Machining internship

I made a clamp, a vise and a working Stirling engine using lathes, milling machines and welding, following production tolerances and ISO requirements.

Manufacturing technologies, 2024

Métronome

Reverse engineering and manufacturing cost analysis of a Wittner Taktell Piccolo metronome.

MICRO-210, assembly, 2023

Sensor-driven embedded system

An ATmega128-L system driven by an infrared remote and several sensors, written in assembly.

Mobile app lab, 2025

VirtualPets mobile app

An augmented-reality pet app built in Kotlin by a team of three. Users play with, feed and walk their pet to help it level up. The project won the best-app prize.

CS-432 Computational motor control, 2025

Zebrafish swimming controller

A C++ model of zebrafish swimming driven by a central pattern generator, used to study how controller parameters affect speed and efficiency.

NX-423 Translational neuroengineering, 2025

Optogenetic colour vision system

A model of near-infrared glasses that encode colour for a retina made light-sensitive through optogenetics.

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Education

Sept 2026 – May 2027

MIT, Department of Physics

Visiting student, master’s thesis in Prof. Pablo Jarillo-Herrero’s group

My master’s thesis focuses on time-resolved polarisation switching in two-dimensional ferroelectrics and the electronics needed to measure it.

2024 – 2027

EPFL

M.Sc. Microengineering, Micro/Nanosystems. GPA 5.3 / 6.0

Micro/Nanosystems specialisation: devices, fabrication, microsystems, electronics, simulation and control.

Master’s courses

Devices and nanofabrication

Nanoelectronics
Nanotechnology
Lab in nanoelectronics
Optical detectors

Microsystems and MEMS

Advanced MEMS and microsystems
Micro/nanomechanical devices
MEMS actuator practicals
Physical models for micro and nanosystems
Laser fundamentals and applications

Electronics and embedded systems

Fundamentals of analog VLSI design
Embedded motor control
App development for tablets and smartphones

Design and research

Product design and systems engineering
Microengineering project I and II
Thinking the nature I and II

Computation and bioengineering

Machine learning I
Machine learning programming
Computational motor control
Translational neuroengineering

2021 – 2024

EPFL

B.Sc. Microengineering

A broad engineering foundation across mechanics, electronics, physics and computation.

Bachelor’s courses

Devices, fabrication and optics

Semiconductor device physics
Microfabrication technologies
Microfabrication practicals
Sensors
Optical engineering
Introduction to bioengineering

Electronics and control

Electronics I and II
Electronic circuits and systems
Electrotechnics I and II
Logic systems
Microcontrollers
Embedded systems and robotics
Signals and systems I and II
Control systems and discrete-time control
Actuators and electromagnetic systems I and II

Mechanics and materials

Mechanical construction I and II
Mechanism design I and II
Manufacturing technologies
Materials processing I and II
Materials: from chemistry to properties

Mathematics, physics and computation

Analysis I, II, III and IV
Linear algebra
Numerical analysis and optimisation
Elements of statistics for data science
General physics: mechanics, thermodynamics and electromagnetism
Design of experiments
Information, computation, communication
Project-oriented programming

Humanities and society

Sport, doping and sciences
Economics of innovation
Art brut (outsider art)
Graphic design A
Global issues: communication A

2017 – 2020

Lycée international de Ferney-Voltaire

Secondary education

Alexandre in an MIT jacket beside Tim the Beaver, MIT’s mascot, in its MIT jersey. — With Tim the Beaver, MIT’s mascot.

Receiving the bachelor’s diploma at EPFL.

Alexandre speaking at the United Nations lectern in Geneva. — Youth Assembly · Geneva, 2020

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Activities and soft skills

Leadership

Youth Assembly, UN Geneva

2018 – 2021

In 2020 I chaired the Youth Assembly: a 100-person team, a year of preparation and a resolution on the gender digital divide. I gave the closing speech.