About

Cynthia Furse is a Distinguished Professor and the Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Utah's Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. Her research focuses on electromagnetics, including intermittent fault location for aircraft wiring, antenna design and optimization, bioelectromagnetics, and engineering education. She is an ACES Fellow and has made significant contributions to the understanding and application of electromagnetic phenomena in various engineering contexts.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Electrical engineering
• Engineering
• Physics
• Telecommunications
• Artificial Intelligence
• Medicine
• Physical medicine and rehabilitation
• Geophysics
• Geology
• Psychology
• Reliability engineering
• Embedded system
• Biomedical engineering
• Risk analysis (engineering)
• Systems engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Data science
• Electronic engineering
• Materials science

Selected publications

• Methods for Evaluating PN Sequences in Spread Spectrum TDR

  Progress In Electromagnetics Research Letters · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• The New IEEE Fellow Nomination [Women in Engineering]

  IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine · 2026-02-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Evaluating the Impact of Tissue Dielectric Property Variability on Microwave Imaging for Breast Cancer Detection

  2025-07-13

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Assessment of Spread Spectrum Time Domain Reflectometry and Artificial Intelligence for Microwave Breast Cancer Detection

  2025-07-13

  articleSenior author

  We use spread spectrum time domain reflectometry (SSTDR) for microwave breast cancer detection, and evaluate the system parameters that could lead to a practical implementation. We describe measurements on a breast phantom, including creating an initial image of a tumor. We will evaluate the signal parameters (frequency range, best PN codes for this application), hardware parameters (the effect of eliminating the switching network, dynamic range, and signal to noise ratio), and the possibility of using artificial intelligence to detect the tumor without making an image. The tradeoffs in these evaluations lead to an assessment of feasibility and implementation strategies for SSTDR for breast cancer detection.

  PublisherDOI

• Variability in Spread Spectrum Time Domain Reflection and Transmission Measurements

  2025-05-30

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Spread Spectrum Time Domain Reflectometry (SSTDR) offers a new non-intrusive measurement technique for microwave imaging. While vector network analyzers (VNAs) are conventional tools in this domain, they present significant drawbacks such as high cost and lengthy scan times. This paper explores the viability of substituting SSTDR devices for the VNA by validating their accuracy in comparison to traditional VNAs in the 0.5-4 GHz band. We conducted several tests of reflection and transmission measurements of RC loads, analysis of variations due to cable movement, calibration consistency, and temperatureinduced variations. We also measured antenna S11 and S21 in two oil-based phantoms to simulate human breast tissue, comparing changes with the insertion of a metal tumor substitute. We found the mean confidence intervals of the VNA and SSTDR are better (less) than 0.03 for the |S11| and 0.02 for the |S21| from 0.5-4 GHz, and that metal "tumors" in the oil are detectable. These results suggest that SSTDR may be a viable alternative to VNAs for applications such as microwave breast imaging, warranting further investigation in more robust setups.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Analysis and Experimental Validation of SSTDR for Simultaneous Distributed Diagnosis of Wire Networks

  IEEE Sensors Journal · 2025-07-02 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  Reflectometry -based techniques such as Spread Spectrum and Sequence Time Domain Reflectometry (S/SSTDR) have been used extensively for the detection, localization, and characterization of electric faults in wires. However, in branched wire networks, testing using a single sensor suffers from ambiguity, where it can be difficult to determine which branch contains the fault. Distributed reflectometry, which uses multiple sensors to test the network from different locations, can resolve this ambiguity. This paper evaluates pseudo -noise (PN) and zero correlation zone (ZCZ) codes for simultaneous distributed testing. Maximum length (ML or m-), Gold and zero correlation zone (ZCZ) codes are compared for a set of up to 16 simultaneous sensors. ML and Gold codes show significant interference between sensors, but the ZCZ codes show near -zero interference over their measurement zone. This lack of interference greatly enhances their use for locating faults. The results were verified numerically and experimentally.

  PublisherDOI

• Analysis of an Implantable Antenna Made From a Biocompatible Nanocomposite Polymer Film

  IEEE Journal of Electromagnetics RF and Microwaves in Medicine and Biology · 2025-12-30

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Variability in Spread Spectrum Time-Domain Reflection and Transmission Measurements

  IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement · 2025-01-01 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author

  Spread Spectrum Time Domain Reflectometry (SSTDR) offers a new non-intrusive measurement technique for microwave imaging. While vector network analyzers (VNAs) are conventional tools in this domain, they present significant drawbacks such as high cost and lengthy scan times. This paper explores the viability of substituting SSTDR devices for the VNA by validating their accuracy in comparison to traditional VNAs in the 0.5-4 GHz band. We conducted several tests of reflection and transmission measurements of RC loads, analysis of variations due to cable movement, calibration consistency, and temperature-induced variations. We also measured antenna <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">S₁₁</i> and <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">S₂₁</i> in two oil-based phantoms to simulate human breast tissue, comparing changes with the insertion of a metal tumor substitute. We found the mean confidence intervals of the VNA and SSTDR are better (less) than 0.03 for the |<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">S₁₁</i>| and 0.02 for the |<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">S₂₁</i>| from 0.5-4 GHz, and that metal “tumors” in the oil are detectable. These results suggest that SSTDR may be a viable alternative to VNAs for applications such as microwave breast imaging, warranting further investigation in more robust setups.

  PublisherDOI

• Spread Spectrum Time Domain Reflectometry for Microwave Breast Cancer Detection

  IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation · 2025-01-01

  articleSenior author

  Microwave detection of breast tumors has shown significant promise. This technology uses microwave transceivers such as vector network analyzers (VNA) or Ultrawideband (UWB) pulsed systems, using a switch network to sequentially measure the reflection and transmission coefficients of antennas surrounding the breast. Our objective is to replace this technology with a faster system that can test all antennas in parallel. Spread spectrum time domain reflectometry (SSTDR) is proposed to replace the VNA or UWB pulsed systems and switches, providing a much faster scan and less expensive electronics. We quantify the SSTDR confidence intervals and detectable differences for simulated tumors in a breast cancer phantom, demonstrating the potential of this method. Microwave breast cancer detection is a promising modality for the detection of breast tumors. Using non-ionizing radiation, it can complement x-ray mammography by providing more frequent scans for high-risk patients.

  PublisherDOI

• A History of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Education Committee: A visionary past and a vision for the future

  IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine · 2024-05-27

  article1st authorCorresponding

  The IEEE Antennas and Propagation Education Committee was established over 50 years ago to further the mission of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) in supporting the educational needs of the Society. This article describes the activities that have been generated over the years including graduate and undergraduate fellowships and summer research opportunities, travel funds, tutorials, and Expert Now online classes.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Utah's Engineers: A Statewide Initiative for Growth

  NSF · $2.0M · 2007–2014

• Integrated System-Level Design in Electrical Engineering

  NSF · $1.0M · 2004–2009

• Collaborative Proposal: Transparent Antennas for Small Satellites

  NSF · $99k · 2008–2012

• Tattoo Antennas for Implantable Medical Devices

  NSF · $360k · 2013–2017

• Enabling MIMO Communication for Complex Channels

  NSF · $390k · 2008–2011

Frequent coauthors

• Branislav M. Notaroš

  Colorado State University

  98 shared

• Marco Salucci

  University of Southern California

  90 shared

• James West

  Vanderbilt University Medical Center

  90 shared

• Ashwin K. Iyer

  The Ohio State University

  90 shared

• Maria Pour

  The Ohio State University

  90 shared

• Yue Li

  Tsinghua University

  90 shared

• Shiwen Yang

  University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

  90 shared

• Alessio Monti

  90 shared

Education

• PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering

  University of Utah

  1994

• MS, Electrical and Computer Engineering

  University of Utah

  1988

• BSEE, Electrical and Computer Engineering

  University of Utah

  1985

Awards & honors

• ACES Fellow