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YOUNG RESEARCHER
/ OUTSTANDING RESEARCHER* AWARD |
| Associate Professor
WU Yihong |
| Department of Electrical
and Computer Engineering |
Assoc Prof Wu Yihong stands
out as a Young Researcher for the potential of his discoveries
to impact many areas of science and technology, particularly
in electronics and data storage. Working at the forefront of
research on nano-carbon and spintronics, he and his team have
already achieved several world firsts.
The journey that led Assoc Prof Wu to the
University Awards is one
of perseverance over adversity. Growing up in the mountainous village
of Quiling in Shaanxi province, the tough living conditions could not
hold him back from realising his potential. In fact, they inspired him.
Having lived without electricity, he developed a life-long curiosity about
electrons, which became a focal point of his research interest. Walking
to school each day through rugged terrain, sometimes as far as 50km,
he learned to stay focused and resolute, qualities that stood him well in
weathering the rigours of research.
Equipped with interest and stamina, he and his team have achieved
several world firsts in a short span of the last two to three years. They
include advanced and novel electron interference spin-valve sensors;
a novel diode-free magnetic random access memory (MRAM) structure;
a new class of exchange coupled and synthetic magnetic force
microscopy (MFM) tips; the ability to grow both carbon nanotubes
and two-dimensional carbon nanowalls in a well-controlled fashion;
as well as fabricating a class of nanostructured materials on
carbon nanowalls.
His breakthroughs have ignited much interest in academic and industry
research communities. He and his team-mates were the only foreign
participants invited to join the 2002 magnetic head session of the U.S.
National Storage Industry Consortium.
Prof Wu aspires to be one of the first to combine nanotechnology
and spintronics in a unique way to impact the electronics and data
storage industry. He has taken the first steps with the initiation of a
nano spinelectronics programme in the NUS-affiliated Data Storage
Institute, that is supported by multi-million dollar funding from A*STAR.
Passionate about establishing it as one of the best research facilities
of its kind, he speaks of it with the resolution of one who believes all
things are possible.
After all, electricity finally arrived in Quiling two years ago. |
