ECE Hires Faculty to Expand Interdisciplinary Research in Bioengineering & Chemistry
By Amy Pollard (GRS, ’19)
Boston University Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering welcomes two new faculty to its ranks, Professor Ji-Xin Cheng and Professor Chen Yang. Cheng and Yang bring years of expertise in teaching and interdisciplinary research to the department.
Cheng, who received the 1st honorary title of Moustakas Chair Professor of Photonics and Optoelectronics, comes to Boston University after cutting-edge research and creative teaching in biomedical engineering and chemistry at Purdue University for 14 years. He holds a PhD from the University of Science and Technology of China. Cheng is a world leader in molecular spectroscopic imaging. His research focuses on the development of label-free microscopy for a range of medical applications to improve early diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. It integrates engineering, physics, chemistry, biology and entrepreneurship. Cheng will hold a joint appointment in ECE and BME.
His formidable list of honors and awards includes the Craver Award from The Coblentz Society in 2015, an American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) Fellowship in 2014, Translational Research Award from the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) in 2014 and the Chang-Jiang Scholar award from China’s Ministry of Education in 2015-17. He holds 8 U.S. patents, an h-index of 66 and 25,000 citations. He is a lifetime member of the Optical Society of America, American Chemical Society, and the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE). Additionally, he is a co-founder of two startup companies: Vibronix, a company that produces label-free imaging technologies, and Resarchi Therapeutics, a company that repurposes metabolic drugs for treating aggressive human cancers.
Yang comes to Boston University with an impressive track record. After earning a PhD degree in Chemistry from Harvard University in 2006, she taught physical chemistry, physics and chemistry of nanomaterials at Purdue University for ten years. Her research efforts are focused on developing novel nanomaterials with a wide societal impact, from nanomedicine research to solar energy applications.
Among her recognitions are the Purdue University Outstanding PhD Advisor Award in 2014, the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2009 and Seeds of Success Award from Purdue University in 2008. Her awards also include funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the National Science Foundation, among others. She is a member of the American Chemical Society, Materials Research Society and Electronic Materials Conference Committee, as well as a member of the Scientific Reports editorial board.
The husband and wife duo bring teaching and research excellence to BU ECE, expanding the department’s research and learning opportunities for students. They elevate BU ECE faculty’s credentials by increasing the number of society fellows to 25 and the number of NSF CAREER award winners to 21.