Michael Kozicki

Founder and CTO at DENSEC ID

Tempe, Arizona, United States

About Michael Kozicki

Michael Kozicki is Founder and CTO at DENSEC ID. Location: Tempe, Arizona, United States.

I work at the intersection of microelectronics innovation, deep tech commercialization, and the future of secure systems. I joined Arizona State University in 1985 from the semiconductor industry to build its microelectronics research capability - an effort that has since contributed to ASU becoming a recognized powerhouse in this field. Today, I am a Professor and Graduate Program Chair in Electrical Engineering and a Senior Global Futures Scientist, where I continue to help shape research, infrastructure, and talent in next-generation electronics. My research spans novel materials, devices, and systems, with impact areas ranging from information storage and computing to digital identity, supply chain security, and cyber-physical trust. My work has been cited over 17,000 times (H-index 63), and I have been recognized as a Highly Ranked Scholar (top 0.05% globally) and among the top researchers worldwide in microelectronics. I am also fortunate to have been an early pioneer in resistive memory (“memristor”) technologies, demonstrating key device concepts in the mid-1990s and participating in some of the earliest explorations of their application to neuromorphic computing. These ideas have since evolved into a major global research field. Across my career, I’ve focused not just on invention, but on translation: * 80+ U.S. patents and dozens internationally * Inventor of CBRAM (Conductive Bridging RAM), a commercially deployed memory technology * Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors * Founder of multiple startups, including Densec ID, focused on secure physical identifiers and supply chain transparency I’ve also worked extensively at the interface of academia and industry, serving in leadership roles in research centers, entrepreneurial programs, and as Chief Scientist in a pre-IPO semiconductor company, while helping take technologies from lab to market. More broadly, I’m interested in building systems that create trust - whether through secure hardware, verifiable identity, or resilient infrastructure - and in enabling engineers and scientists to become impact-driven innovators. What I care about: * Turning breakthrough device concepts into scalable technologies * Advancing memory and neuromorphic systems * Creating secure, trustworthy digital–physical interfaces * Building innovation ecosystems that connect research to real-world impact

Skills

  • Nanotechnology
  • Physics
  • Simulations

Additional experience

  • Professor

    Arizona State University

    Started March 1985

Education

  • Ph.D., The University of Edinburgh