Liang Feng Promoted to Associate Professor

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania is thrilled to announce that Liang Feng has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. We look forward to many years ahead of Liang being a groundbreaking researcher, an inspired teacher, and a valued colleague.

Liang’s research expertise is in the area of large-scale integrated photonic circuits and novel nanoscale photonic devices. To appreciate the impact of his work, consider that most integrated circuits and devices that support the immense computing and communication power of our modern lives are based on manipulating electrons. Our systems for encoding and transferring information are based on electrons, because decades of research uncovered how to manipulate materials to control the flow of electrons. However, as the quantity of data explodes and even faster manipulation is desired, relying on electrons is proving to be a limitation. Since launching his independent research career, Liang and his students have dramatically narrowed the gap between what can currently be done with electrons and the promise of photonic (light-based) technologies. Currently his research is focused on the intersection of quantum materials and photonics toward applications in computer and communication systems.

For examples of Liang’s recent research accomplishments, review these news stories:

• Penn Engineers Develop First Tunable, Chip-based ‘Vortex Microlaser’ and Detector, Encode Information in Twisting Beams of Light
• Penn Engineers’ New Topological Insulator Can Reroute Photonic ‘Traffic’ On the Fly, Making for Faster Chips
• Penn Engineering Groups Awarded NSF Grants to Work Toward ‘Quantum Leap’

As an early career scientist, Feng has already led a decorated career. His research accomplishments have been recognized by the ARO Young Investigator Award (2016) and the NSF CAREER Award (2019). Last year Liang was elected as a Fellow of the Optical Society of America in 2019 and earlier this year he was named a Sloan Fellow. And here at Penn, he is a highly respected Professor and received the 2020 S. Reid Warren, Jr. Teaching Award, nominated by students.

Liang received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Physics from Nanjing University in 2002 and 2005, respectively, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, San Diego in 2010. Subsequently, he worked as a postdoctoral scholar at the California Institute of Technology (2010-2012) and then at the University of California, Berkeley (2012-2013). Prior to joining University of Pennsylvania as an Assistant Professor in August 2017, Liang held a tenure-track position at the State University of New York at Buffalo as an Assistant Professor from 2014 to 2017. Liang holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering within the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania.