Tyrone Benson

Curiosity about how and why things work the way they do is what got Tyrone Benson interested in engineering at a young age.

“Even when playing with toy helicopters, I remember wondering why they were able to fly,” Benson says. “This curiosity continued into college, and by the end of my undergraduate career at Georgia Tech, I was fascinated by how semiconductors power nearly every aspect of modern life.”

Benson, a professor of practice in the School of Integrated Engineering, part of the  at Arizona State University, says he stayed in the field because it combines things he loves: continuous learning, solving challenging technical problems and teamwork.

“Throughout my career, I found myself equally passionate about teaching and mentoring to help others understand these complex systems and prepare them to be leaders in engineering,” Benson says.

Benson decided to join ASU because he has always been excited about education — whether learning, tutoring, teaching or mentoring.

“ASU offers a unique opportunity to continue that passion by building out the engineering science program on the West Valley campus, expanding pathways for students who might not otherwise see themselves in engineering,” Benson says. “I believe we can increase the number of technical problem-solvers in the STEM pipeline, particularly by reaching new student populations in the Phoenix area.”

Prior to joining the Fulton Schools faculty, Benson spent more than two decades in the semiconductor industry in technical leadership roles at Intel, where he focused on quality, reliability and advanced technology development. His work spanned everything from package assembly process low yield analysis to pre-silicon modeling to post-silicon validation, test coverage and product qualification.

This year, Benson is teaching ESC 110 History of the Semiconductor Industry, ESC 321 Computing Tools for Microelectronics II and ESC 212 Engineering Tools for Microelectronics II.

Students in his classes should be ready for a mix of theory, application and hands-on problem-solving.

“My goal is to connect classroom learning directly to the challenges faced in industry so that students leave with both conceptual knowledge and practical skills,” Benson says. “They should also be prepared to engage in discussion, teamwork and critical thinking — because that’s how real engineering problems are solved.”

Outside of work, Benson sits on the board of Future Stars AZ. The nonprofit provides hands-on STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math, experiences; college and career coaching; and devices to underserved students.

“I enjoy mentoring, designing STEM competitions and finding creative ways to make technical learning exciting and accessible for young people,” he says.

Meet the newest faculty members of the Fulton Schools of Engineering.

Written by Erik Wirtanen