Professor Ching-wei WANG holds a BA in Business Administration from National Chengchi University (2001), an MSc in Information Technology from the University of Glasgow (2003), and a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Lincoln (2009).
She joined Taiwan Tech in 2010 and has been actively involved in biomedical engineering research, focusing on AI applications in medical systems. In August 2024, she was appointed Director of the Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Taiwan Tech.

Q: You received your undergraduate education in Business Administration, while your Master’s and PhD were in Computer Science. Can you share how your academic journey and interests evolved? 

I’ve always had a deep love for mathematics. While my undergraduate studies in business administration provided a broad perspective on innovation and future technologies, I realized I wanted to pursue something more mathematically driven and practically applicable. That’s what led me to computer science for my graduate studies. My focus soon shifted to applying these skills in medical systems, which became the foundation of my research.

During my Master’s at the University of Glasgow, I had to prove myself because I didn’t come from a computer science background. One professor, known for his challenging course, assigned a particularly difficult task that most students avoided. I took up the challenge and successfully developed algorithms to solve the problem. For my Master’s thesis, I worked at the Bioinformatics Center in Glasgow, where I developed an ensemble machine learning method to analyze gene expression data for cancer research.

After completing my Master’s, I returned to Taiwan and worked in the tech industry for three years. I developed computer vision technology for surveillance systems, applying knowledge from my graduate studies. Later, I was awarded a full PhD scholarship from Lincoln University in the UK, where I developed a non-contact, video-based system to analyze human breathing and assist in diagnosing sleep apnea at Lincolnshire Hospital.
 

Q: Taiwan Tech doesn’t have a School of Medicine. How does that impact your research?

 The lack of a School of Medicine hasn’t been a limitation. We collaborate with several major hospitals in Taiwan, such as Tri-Service General Hospital and the National Defense Medical Center. Internationally, I also work with institutions like LMU University Hospital in Munich, Germany, the Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands, and others.

Professor WANG collaborates with major hospitals in Taiwan and internationally.  

Q: How do you identify areas of medical application, and how much medical knowledge do you and your team need for these projects? 

It’s relatively easy to find clinical partners. Medical teams often approach me with real-world issues, and I evaluate whether the problem is worth solving. My criteria include: Does it affect a large number of patients? Can our research make a significant impact? Are there recent high-impact studies in the field? And is the project feasible? After these discussions, we choose the topics that align with our expertise.
 

Q: How do you see AI impacting biomedical engineering in the future? Is it a "game changer" or an evolution of existing technologies? 

AI has become a buzzword, but I’ve been working with AI solutions for over a decade. My research focuses on developing AI algorithms and systems for practical applications. AI not only enhances diagnostics and treatment decisions but could also revolutionize preventive medicine. For example, we’ve developed a 3D CT fast screening system that can identify several types of cancer. This could streamline cancer screening by using a single system rather than multiple ones for different cancers. I hope health authorities will adopt such AI-based screening methods in the future.

Professor WANG's research focuses on developing AI algorithms and systems for practical applications.

Q: As a professor at the Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, what do you expect from your students? 

I recruit students from different backgrounds with strong programming and math skills. The challenge at Taiwan Tech is that we don’t have an undergraduate program in biomedical engineering, so I usually recruit students from other technological universities in Taiwan. However, recruiting PhD students is difficult - many of my Master’s graduates are immediately hired by the tech industry with attractive salaries. One of my goals as director is to attract more international PhD students to the program.

Profesor WANG posing with her student team. She hopes to attract more international PhD students to the program.

Q: Taiwan Tech will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. What is your vision for your institute and your research? 

The Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, under the College of Applied Sciences, was founded in 2009, so it’s now 15 years old. Medical technology aligns well with Taiwan Tech’s profile as an applied research university, and I believe biomedical engineering can become one of our flagship disciplines.

Contact 
Professor WANG Ching-Wei 
Director of the Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering
Email: cweiwang@mail.ntust.edu.tw 
See also: Medical Imaging Research: Professor Wang Ching-Wei Develops Universal 3D Lesion Segmentation AI Model [August 2024]