Path to My CAREER Goal
- for NSF CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop
Xingwei (Vivian) Wang, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Phone: (978) 934-1981
Xingwei_Wang@uml.edu
http://faculty.uml.edu/xwang
NSF CAREER Proposal
• What is an NSF CAREER proposal?
• Is it the same as the regular NSF
proposals?
NSF CAREER Proposal
• A roadmap
NSF CAREER Proposal
•
•
•
•
A roadmap
Where am I now?
Where do I want to go?
Which path to take?
NSF CAREER Proposal
• A roadmap
• Who am I and where
am I now?
• What is my long-term
CAREER goal?
• How to reach my goal?
My Long Term CARER Goal
• Become a leader in the optical sensing
area.
Who Am I?
• Education
– M.S., Ph.D., Electrical and Computer
Engineering Virginia Tech.
– Certificate, Future Professoriate, Virginia Tech.
– B.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering,
Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, China.
• Training
– Combination of expertise in electrical
engineering, optics, and sensor technology.
7
Research Activities in VT
• Biosensors
– “an oligonucleotide functionalized fiber probe with a
miniature protrusion for label-free DNA sequence
detection”
– won Paul E. Torgerson Research Excellence Award
(2006) from Virginia Tech (VT).
• Sensors for harsh environment applications
– successfully verified near the fan of a turbine engine
– 6 VT invention disclosures; 1 licensed to a company
(Prime Photonics) for commercialization.
Research Activities in UML
• Biosensors
– Massachusetts Life Science Center (MLSC) New Investigator
Research Award
• Optical fiber tip blood pressure sensor
– Sponsored by UMass Commercial Ventures and Intellectual
Property (CVIP)
– 1 provisional patent
• Optical temperature sensor
– an NSF collaborative grant
• Miniature optical acoustic sensors using MEMS
technology
– Sponsored by Army Research Lab (ARL)
– 1 US patent
Blood Pressure Sensor
• Initial market thrust: angioplasty $8
billion/year.
Photo of the a blood pressure sensor
inserted in a guidewire.
• Broad applications: pressure measurements
in lung, brain, intestines and other areas.
• PCT International Application for filling in
the US receiving office, Application No.
PCT/US10/40460 (29 June 2010)
Comparison with current pressure sensor
UML Sensor
PressureWire® (St. Jude
Medical)**
Optical
Electrical
Immune to EMI
Susceptible to EMI
Biocompatible material
Electrical wires inside the
patient body
~ $50
~ $600
** http://www.radi.se/home.aspx?n=8&m=6&s=8&r=1
Guide wire
Sensor Head
355.6µm (ID)
125µm (OD)
The pressure sensor in the left anterior
descending coronary artery
Blood Pressure Sensor
Fractional flow reserve (FFR)
54
Pressure
Pressure Mean Value
Pressure (mmHg)
52
50
48
46
44
Plaque: Pa/Pd = 0.7
1700
No plaque: Pa/Pd = 1
1720
1740
1760
Pressure
decreased from
50 mmHg to 45
mmHg, caused
by complete
occlusion of
coronary vessel
1780
Time (s)
Blast event measurement (Fast response)
0.06
0.460
0.05
0.455
Output (V)
Output (V)
0.04
0.450
0.445
Optical fiber sensor
Sampling rate: 2.5 MHz
0.440
18.848 18.850 18.852 18.854 18.856 18.858
Time (ms)
Rise time of our sensor is 0.4 μs
0.03
0.02
0.01
0.00
18.580 18.584
Blast wave response
comparison. The
rise time of our
sensor is 0.4 μs.
Reference sensor
The reference
Sampling rate: 2.5 MHz
18.588 18.592 18.596 18.600 sensor is 12 μs.
Time (ms)
Rise time of the reference sensor is 12 μs
Relationship between CAREER goal
and prior funding support?
Long-term goal: leader in
optical sensing
Temperature
sensor (NSF)
Pressure
sensor
(ARL)
CAREER:
Ultrasound
CAREER
topic?
generator
& receiver
Biosensor
Blood (MLSC)
pressure
sensor
(CVIP)
CAREER Proposal Topic
Novel Mechanism for Generation and
Receiving of Ultrasound on a Single
Fiber Using Nanoparticles.
Principle
The ultrasonic wave is steered by the phased array technique.
Application and Marketing
Comparison with current ultrasonic transducer
Miniature Size?
Safety to patients for in-vivo
applications?
Coronary intravascular ultrasound
(IVUS) for coronary artery disease
diagnosis
Work in strong
electromagnetic
environments?
High Temperature
Survivability?
Higher frequency?
Optical
125 µm diameter
Yes.
Biocompatible
material.
Electrical
Millimeter size
Depends on packaging.
Electrical wires inside
the patient body.
Yes. Immune to
EMI.
No. Susceptible to EMI
Up to 600 ºC
No.
>30MHz
<10MHz
Intellectual Merits
• 1) This proposal will be the first attempt to explore
nanoparticles for photoacoustic generation in an
ultrasound probe, which is expected to enhance the
ultrasound generation efficiency.
• 2) The outcome of this research will open up a new
avenue for research on integration of ultrasound
generation and receiving on a single optical fiber tip.
• 3) The research will be the first attempt to optically
steer the direction of ultrasound generated in an
optical fiber which could allow fast 360-degree cross
section view and defect detection in any angle.
Relationship between CAREER goal
and prior funding support
Long-term goal: leader in
optical sensing
Temperature
sensor (NSF)
Pressure
sensor
(ARL)
CAREER:
Ultrasound
generator
& receiver
Biosensor
Blood (MLSC)
pressure
sensor
(CVIP)
Where Am I Now?
• Grants:
– NSF CAREER Award; $400K
– Massachusetts Life Sciences Center New Investigator Matching
Grant, $ 599,775.
– NSF MRI ($1.15M); PI
– NSF MRI ($507,980); co-PI
– NSF collaborative grant; PI in UML (not lead)
– Companies (Raytheon; VasoTech; etc.)
• Group:
– 1 Postdoctoral Researcher; 7 Ph.D. candidates (1 Ph.D. student
graduated); 1 M.S. student; 3 REU students
Think about…
• Where you are now?
• Where do you want to go?
• Which path to take?
Listen
• Listen to Dr. ZJ Pei
• Read “NSF CAREER Proposal Writing Tips”, ZJ.
Pei,
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/nsfcareer-proposal-writing-tips/703013
• Attend NSF CAREER Proposal Writing
Workshop; CMMI grantee conference
Prepare Well
• Prepare well (preliminary results;
educational plans; collaboration letters;
etc.)
• Listen to advice/suggestions (mentors;
peers; students)
• Revise and revise
Enjoy the Journey to the CAREER
Goal
• Manage time efficiently
• Get excited about research
• Collaborate
Acknowledgement
•
•
•
•
•
Profs. Pei and Gao;
UConn
NSF
UML colleagues
My group members