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.