Meet David Estrada
Professor, Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering
Boise State University
College of Engineering
Class of ‘07
David Estrada serves as a professor at Boise State University and as site director for the National Science Foundation’s Center for Atomically Thin Multifunctional Coatings. Throughout his career, he has shown a deep commitment to service, innovation and inclusive excellence.
A U.S. Navy veteran and proud Bronco alum, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Boise State and his Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His doctorate studies were supported by the Micron Graduate Fellowship, the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship.
Estrada’s expertise spans energy, water and health care, with a focus on training the next generation of engineers for emerging materials, microelectronics and advanced manufacturing technologies. His research has been published in leading scientific journals and he holds five U.S. patents. He is the co-founder of INFlex Labs, which commercializes Boise State–developed intellectual property and collaborates with industry leaders, including GE Aerospace, Boeing and Space Foundry.
He has led transformative workforce development programs as principal investigator on Idaho’s first NSF S-STEM Track 3 award and an NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program in partnership with Idaho National Laboratory. As former associate director of the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES), he helped expand statewide research infrastructure and strategic STEM investments that have supported over $55 million in external funding.
Estrada lives in Boise with his wife, Jennele ‘05. Their son, a former Boise State research assistant, is currently pursuing his studies at the University of Chicago.