Shan Wang | Faculty Spotlight

Shan Wang

Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and of Electrical Engineering and, by courtesy, of Radiology (Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford)

"I was born and raised in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China. It is located to the south of Shanghai, about 2-3 hours of drive away."

Where were you born and raised? 

I was born and raised in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China. It is located to the south of Shanghai, about 2-3 hours of drive away. The city is known for bustling commerce and rich culture and is also part of the biggest shipping port at the midpoint of China’s east coast.

What led you to the engineering field? 

I majored in physics as an undergraduate student in the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). The first big break in my life occurred when I got selected by the China-US Physics Exam and Application (CUSPEA) program organized by the late T.D. Lee, the Nobel Laureate in Physics who was on the faculty of Columbia University at the time. At first, I enrolled at Iowa State University in 1986, and learned about high-Tc superconductors,  the first electronic digital computer invented there (the Atanasoff-Berry Computer), and famed Iowa Caucus. Gradually I was drawn to engineering for its societal impact, so I finished with an M.S. degree in 1988, and moved on to the doctorate program in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University.

Where did you study? 

Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Going there is the second big break in my life. My PhD thesis on magnetic recording heads was advised by Prof. Mark H. Kryder, a renowned alumnus of Stanford EE Dept. Prof. Kryder, a giant in the field of magnetics and data storage, taught me to aim high in research while staying practical and grounded. Most importantly, I met and married my wife Tsing here. Pittsburgh is my hometown in America, always a special place in my heart.

What led you to Stanford and your current role? 

I joined Stanford faculty in 1993 after graduate school, jointly appointed in MSE and Electrical Engineering. Around that time, Prof. Robert L. White just founded the Center for Research in Information Storage Materials (CRISM), with faculty members Profs. Robert Sinclair, Bruce Clemens, Fabian Pease, among others. It’s probably one of the golden ages of data storage industry when the data storage technology developed by leaps and bounds, laying the foundation for cloud computing and data centers of today. It’s memorable to be part of that transformative era. Besides research, I was especially happy that I was able to coauthor (with Alex Taratorin) a textbook on Magnetic Information Storage Technology during this period.

Please describe any of your current research you would like highlighted and describe its importance, and/or any research you hope to accomplish in the future.

After earning my tenure at Stanford, I branched out into research on magnetic nanoparticles and biosensors, the rest is history. We truly put giant magnetoresistive (GMR) biosensors, aka magneto-nanosensors, on the map, showing their great promises in medical diagnostics of cancer and a myriad of other diseases and conditions. Today Wang Group alumni are actively leading the efforts to cure cancers and infectious diseases. Current group members are working on novel technologies which can improve the efficacy of personalized therapy for cancer or diabetes, and new medical imaging modalities for stroke and cardiovascular diseases.

The group have also embarked on research of AI in smart mobile platforms and RF magnetics for 5G/6G era. Specifically, we have developed some “contrarian” materials and device concepts for next generation magnetoresisitive random access memory (MRAM), which could become the linchpin to enable so called Edge AI with local training/learning, personalization and privacy. The days of having your own AI agent in your pocket and bespoke humanoid robot at home are beckoning.

We welcome alumni to visit our website below and stay linked in:

https://wanggroup.stanford.edu/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shan-x-wang-714ba511/

What advice do you have for aspiring scientist researchers in the field?

Locate your passion and niche in your early career, be your own best in it.

Get out of your comfort zone, move your perch, for necessity or opportunity.

Trust your destiny, keep faith.