Hometown: Sichuan, China
Degrees earned: Ph.D. in Physics, University of Konstanz, Germany; M.S. in Physics, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Arrived at NIU: 2004
Classes taught: Solid State Physics and Introduction to Nanophysics (both graduate-level courses)
What’s your mission in academia?
Advancing science and educating the future workforce.
What’s in your job description?
Scholar + Teacher
How did you become interested in your subject area?
When I was in high school, China was racing to catch up to the Western countries in the sciences and technologies. The best students chose natural sciences, particularly physics, math and chemistry. I dreamed of one day winning the Nobel Prize (and still do).
What do students learn from you?
Physics and thoughts about an enjoyable life.
What makes your class interesting?
I joke a lot in class and sometimes also trick students.
What’s the best question you’ve ever been asked? What was your answer?
When I was in Germany pursuing my Ph.D., one of my German friends asked me: “Weren’t you afraid of coming to Germany? It’s far away from China, and people speak a different language.” My answer to this was: “If you are doing what you really want to do, you will not be afraid.” In the 1990s, many young Chinese students dreamed of studying in the Western countries in order to pursue their careers at the frontiers of the sciences. I am living a dream.
What kinds of things do your graduates do?
I teach graduate students. Most of them go on to become professors at universities or post-doctoral researchers.
What is your favorite aspect of your subject? Why?
The exploration of the unknown. The experimental results may confirm your idea or deviate from what you expected. One feels good if a prediction is confirmed. But sometimes unexpected results can bring even more joy, since you discover something totally new.
What most pleases you about society today? What most concerns you?
Advanced technologies, such as the cell phone and Internet, are bringing tremendous convenience to everyday life. I am very concerned, however, about the energy future. Oil will be exhausted in a few decades. Atomic energy produces lots of radioactive waste. Scientists are working hard to find new sources of clean energy, such as solar power.
What’s your current research?
I create new nanomaterials, study their physical properties and expose their potential applications for new technologies.
What’s a good book you recently read?
I read scientific articles and do not read many books except my daughter’s yearbook.
Where do you go in DeKalb for a good meal?
J. Hop’s Chinese restaurant.
Why did you choose your first university?
The university I chose ranked very high (top ten) in China.
Who was your favorite professor?Why?
My M.S. thesis adviser, Professor Guanxiong Chen. He seemed to know everything and, more important, he was able to achieve wonderful results by using simple setups. We did not have much in the way of advanced equipment in China 20 years ago.
Why should students come to NIU?
I think students should come to NIU Physics because they will get an affordable but extremely high quality education. Most of our faculty members conduct research at the frontiers of sciences. Faculty members have strong ties with two nearby prestigious national laboratories, Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, where students can gain access to world-class facilities.
What’s your best advice to students who want to succeed?
Set a realistic goal and stick to it.
If you weren’t teaching, what would you be doing?
I would be a stock trader on Wall Street. I like competition.
What would your tombstone read?
Busy and happy man rests here.
Photos by Don Butler, NIU Media Services