A Bright New Light: Tianyu Wang Joins ECE
by A.J. Kleber
BU ECE’s newest Assistant Professor believes in the power of convergent research to spark novel technological advances, and he’s full of ideas for exploring that potential.
Professor Tianyu Wang’s research interests combine optics, physics, and artificial intelligence, with potential biomedical applications and a strong emphasis on developing faster, more efficient computing and sensing technologies.
A great deal of Professor Wang’s work is centered on imitating biological systems to design advanced computing and sensing hardware; an approach known as neuromorphic computing, since it tends to put particular focus on the human brain and nervous system. Neuromorphic design principles allow for a strategic approach to recording and processing data, focusing on the most “salient” elements at high speed and precision. In particular, the professor’s research focuses on combining neuromorphism with photonic computing, taking advantage of its high data-transmission capacity, which notably exceeds that of conventional digital electronics.
Professor Wang’s broader research interests include exploring the potential of quantum entanglement for imaging and sensing, and utilizing AI for physical science research. When it comes to the latter, he points out that there is a great deal we still don’t understand about the human brain, even as we model increasingly advanced computational neural networks on biological characteristics. We can improve our understanding of these biological systems through innovative applications of their technological counterparts.
Professor Wang joins BU ECE from Cornell University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 2018 and subsequently completed a Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship. His research on three-photon calcium imaging won him a SPIE Photonics West JenLab Young Investigator Award in 2017. He is an affiliate of the Photonics Center and the Neurophotonics Center.
The department welcomes Professor Wang, and expects great things from his future contributions!