I met Professor Christine P. Hendon during the optical system class of my master’s program; she later accepted me for summer research and my PhD. She inspired my interest in how optical imaging systems can improve the clinical outcome as a diagnostic and procedural tool.

My work is developing imaging-integrated surgical tools for the therapy of irregular heart rhythms. We provide real-time information on what’s happening inside the tissue, to guide the ablation procedure and improve the quality and clinical outcome.

My proudest achievement is that my PhD degree was not my only accomplishment to come out of my doctoral work: During that time, I initiated and organized events such as industry visits to foster the optics student community at Columbia University; I mentored MS researchers, and several of those students were admitted into top-tier universities for their PhDs; and I also volunteered to help optics PhDs and postdocs secure grants.

When I struggled over deciding between an academic position and a purely scientific path, I overcame the challenge by “jumping out of the circle,” exploring on-and-off campus events in order to meet others who had made the transition. I got an internship in a combined tech-business role in a venture capital firm, which helped solidify my goals.

It’s good to think big and dream big, but what’s more important is making it practical. Always set a goal for yourself. Then, identify a role model in that position and learn about the journey of that individual. Outline the key milestones for yourself to track your progress along the way and start executing them. The goal can be either long-term or short-term but must be specific and detailed rather than simply “I want to be successful” — that’s just too broad.

Consider this example: “I want to apply for an SPIE scholarship next year.” Look through the awardees this year to see what they have accomplished. Then break your aims down into specifics, such as achieving at least one publication or conference presentation and joining or volunteering with an SPIE Student Chapter. Make those your milestones.

I hope to continue showing young optics students how to develop themselves and make an impact on our field from multiple aspects, not just academic research, using my own experience to inspire those who want to engage and contribute to the optics community but may not know how to start.

Haiqiu Yang
Co-Founder, Researcher, OptiCardio Inc.
Born in China / Resides in United States
Educational Background: BEng in Electrical Engineering and Automation, Fudan University, China; MS in Electrical Engineering, PhD in Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, United States