Iliana Balaskas

Experience & involvement

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER

Varsity Women’s Volleyball

Competed throughout all four years of college while balancing two degree programs, research, and teaching. Athletics has developed my accountability to a team, ability to accept feedback, and time management. Served as the team’s Workout Coordinator for the past three years. Led team practices, organized lifts, and coordinated offseason training to help teammates stay consistent and accountable to shared goals.

OFFICE OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

Research Ambassador

Help students navigate undergraduate research, including cold emailing, finding a suitable group, application writing, and balancing research with coursework and extracurricular commitments. View my Rochester ambassador profile

AUGUST 2026–PRESENT

Teaching Assistant · ECE 270

Support students in Probability for Engineers through course and homework questions. Grade homework and quizzes for the course.

MAY–AUGUST 2026 · C.E.K. MEES OBSERVATORY

Mees Observatory Operator & Tour Guide

Led public observatory tours and explained astronomy and astrophysics concepts to visitors of different ages. Operated observatory equipment, including telescope initialization, slewing, imaging, and shutdown.

AUGUST 2024–MAY 2026

Teaching Assistant · PHYS 121 Mechanics Lab

Guided undergraduate students through laboratory experiments, helped troubleshoot equipment, and supported interpretation of experimental results. Contributed to revisions of laboratory setup and content.

CAMPUS INVOLVEMENT

Organizations

Society of Women Engineers · Kapitza Society · Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Honor Society

Technical skills

Programming & software

Python · C · C++ · MATLAB · CAD · HSPICE · LTspice · OriginPro · ImageJ · Gwyddion · Arduino IDE · Microsoft 365

Laboratory & fabrication

AFM · SEM · Optical microscopy · Confocal microscopy · Cleanroom processing · Laser direct writing · Thin-film sputtering · Sample preparation

Electrical & embedded systems

Analog circuit design · Soldering · Instrument calibration · Microcontrollers · Arduino · Digital logic · RF interferometry · Hardware interfacing · Data acquisition

Coursework

  • ECE 112: Digital Logic
  • ECE 200: Computer Organization
  • ECE 216: Mechatronics and Embedded Systems
  • ECE 221: Electronic Devices and Circuits
  • ECE 222: Integrated Circuit Design and Analysis
  • ECE 230: Electromagnetic Waves
  • ECE 241: Signals Processing and Communication
  • ECE 349: ECE Design Capstone
  • ECE 205: Ising Machines
  • PHYS 371: Nanometrology Lab
  • PHY 217: Electricity and Magnetism I
  • PHY 235W: Classical Mechanics
  • PHY 237: Quantum Mechanics of Physical Systems
  • PHY 243W: Advanced Experimental Techniques I
  • MATH 281: Applied Boundary Value Problems