Michael Goryll, who was an associate dean of undergraduate programs and associate professor of electrical engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, has posthumously been named the recipient of the 2026 Joseph C. Palais Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award.
Established in 2016 by electrical engineering Emeritus Professor Joseph Palais, the award recognizes electrical engineering faculty for excellence in research, service and teaching.
Goryll served the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering and the Fulton Schools for more than 20 years, including as associate dean of undergraduate programs beginning in 2024. In that role, he helped strengthen undergraduate engineering education, modernize curricula, expand online programs, establish certificates and advance student success initiatives.
Andreas Spanias, a professor of electrical engineering and director of the ASU Sensor, Signal and Information Processing Center, nominated Goryll for the award.
“Michael Goryll exemplified excellence across all dimensions of faculty service, with particularly distinguished contributions to engineering education, curriculum development, student mentorship and academic leadership,” Spanias says.
Stephen Phillips, professor of electrical engineering and former director of the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, highlights Goryll’s contributions to the school as groundbreaking and transformational.
“His leadership in developing, refining and institutionalizing online laboratory experiences enabled our early deployment of online enrollment in our undergraduate degree program in 2013,” Phillips says. “These laboratories were the key experiences required by our industry constituents for their endorsement and support for online undergraduate program delivery as accredited by ABET. Michael’s direct mentoring of students was his true passion, and many of our students, both undergraduate and graduate, have recognized him as personally enabling or enhancing their success at ASU.”
Advancing critical research
Goryll earned his doctorate in physics from RWTH Aachen University in 2000 and conducted postdoctoral research at the Research Centre Jülich in Germany. He joined ASU as a postdoctoral researcher in 2003 and transitioned to a tenure-track faculty member in 2007.
His research focused on semiconductor devices, micro-electromechanical systems, biosensors, nanopore technologies, complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor materials and processing, and photovoltaics.
His work with Trevor Thornton, a Fulton Schools professor of electrical engineering, was part of a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, project.
“Mike joined my group as a postdoctoral researcher and made major contributions to a large DARPA-funded program, and the papers he wrote are some of the most highly cited in the field,” Thornton says. “He was subsequently hired as a faculty member and used the DARPA project experience to win a prestigious NSF CAREER Award studying the nanoscience of naturally occurring diatoms.”
Goryll authored or co-authored refereed publications on topics including integrated sensor design using ion channels inserted into lipid bilayer membranes, high-efficiency monolithic solar cells, interdigitated back contact silicon heterojunction solar cells and carbon nanostructures. He also served as co-inventor on several U.S. patents related to flexible electronics, field-effect transistors and optogenetic nerve modulation.
In the final years of his career, Goryll also became involved with quantum information science research. He participated in ASU’s Quantum Collaborative initiative, served on quantum information science search committees and advised graduate students on quantum machine learning theses and dissertations.
Teaching through dedication
Goryll’s colleagues say his research achievements stood beside an equally strong commitment to students.
“Throughout his time at ASU, he always put his students first, working in the lab with grad students in the evenings and weekends, or with undergraduates during long extended office hours,” Thornton says. “It didn’t seem that a semester went by without him receiving a Fulton Schools Top 5% teaching recognition. His leadership responsibilities focused on achieving the best student outcomes and he was a wonderful faculty colleague who will be sorely missed.”
Goryll received the Fulton Schools Teaching Excellence Award in 2011–12 and earned Top 5% teaching recognition nine times between 2012 and 2025. He supervised many senior design capstone projects, thesis research projects for students in Barrett, The Honors College, and worked closely with students participating in the Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative, or FURI.
He also served as faculty advisor to the ASU chapter of IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu, mentoring high-achieving students, promoting leadership and academic excellence and supporting IEEE-related educational and professional activities.
Allison McMinn, ’26 PhD in electrical engineering, first met Goryll as one of her instructors when she began her doctoral studies at ASU. He later served on her doctoral committee.
McMinn says that his support helped students adjust to life at ASU and navigate online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout her doctoral program, she recalls regularly seeing him dashing between classes, labs and evening meetings for Fulton Student Organizations while still making time to check on students’ research progress.
“Because of his unwavering encouragement and mentorship, many students, me included, were inspired to push the boundaries of our research and support one another,” McMinn says. “He was an exceptional instructor and mentor who deeply influenced countless students at ASU. His kindness, dedication and genuine care for others created a legacy at ASU, which will be remembered by all who had the privilege of learning from him.”
Serving the Fulton Schools community
As associate dean of undergraduate programs, Goryll worked on initiatives that expanded student opportunities across the Fulton Schools. Vice Dean of Academic and Student Affairs and President’s Professor Teresa Wu, and former Vice Dean of Academic and Student Affairs Jim Collofello, supported Goryll’s nomination and noted his extensive work with FURI, E2, the ASU London program, the three-year electrical engineering degree pathway and programs in the honors college.
Bob Monahan, assistant director of academic services in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, worked closely with Goryll on curriculum development and says he delivered the same level of commitment to outreach that he did in the classroom.
“I remember seeing him at an ASU Open Door event with a handful of electric components and a group of curious kids around him,” Monahan says. “He was not even on the agenda for the event, but that did not matter. Michael did not need a formal role or recognition to show up and make a difference. He was simply always there, sharing his excitement for engineering.”
Monahan says Goryll valued staff contributions, built relationships across the school and consistently focused conversations on how to better support students.
Bruno Sinopoli, Truet B. Thompson Professor and director of the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, says Goryll’s legacy lives through the students he taught and mentored.
“He was an excellent scientist, but his deepest and most enduring legacy may be found in the lives of the students he guided, encouraged and believed in,” Sinopoli says. “In universities, we often measure impact by research alone, yet Michael reminds us that devotion to students can shape generations, and that even a small gesture of help or kindness can change the life of someone around us. May his life also remind us to speak our gratitude while we can, to those whose care, wisdom, and generosity leave lasting marks on us all.”
Through his unwavering dedication as a mentor, researcher and volunteer, Goryll strengthened the ASU engineering community. His colleagues and students remember him as a scientist and educator who embodied the Fulton Schools values and shaped positive experiences for the people around him.
“Michael’s kindness, generosity, energy and unwavering dedication touched many,” Monahan says. “His impact on our students, colleagues and the ASU community will be felt for years to come, and he will be deeply missed.”
