Terahertz Pioneer: Xi-Cheng Zhang

The courtyard of ITMO University sports a graffiti-style portrait of Dr. Xi-Chen Zhang, a prominent scientist, the director of “Institute of Optics” at the University of Rochester, USA, and co-chair of ITMO’s International Institute “Photonics and Optical Information Technology.” It’s not by chance that students were inspired to turn his image into art. A member of ITMO’s International Council, Dr. Zhang has not only helped shape the future of our university and Optics research in general, he’s the kind of personal and professional example that any young scientist would be honored to follow.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) recently featured Dr. Zhang in their Explore series on the pioneers in Terahertz research. An incredible story of talent, hard work, perseverance, commitment to science and success in every sense of the word, it’s a true inspiration. Please enjoy the full text here. Here are a few highlights:

As a young child, Dr. Zhang spent three years away from his family in Beijing. He returned to the countryside after graduating from high school, to discover that in the impoverished village food and electricity were in scarce supply. Without any formal training and only by studying at the library, Xi-Cheng spearheaded the construction of a hydro plant that soon was supplying even the neighboring communities with power. He even stocked the reservoir with fish.
Out of 5.7 million young people who took the national college entrance exam in 1977, Xi-Cheng scored #1.
In 1981, Xi-Cheng was selected among top 100 Chinese students for a pioneering scholarship program started by Nobel Laureate Tsung Dao Lee to study in the US. On his way to Brown University, Xi-Cheng received two suits, $400 cash and an airline ticket.
Work with David Auston at Columbia opened the door for higher frequency and higher efficiency opto-electronic RF generation.
The real breakthrough came in 1995, when graduate student Qi Wu and Xi-Cheng Zhang published their extremely influential paper on sensitive coherent THz detection using the AC Pockels6 effect.
In 1998, post-doc Zhiping Jiang and Zhang were able to perform the first electro-optic sampling measurements (THz generation and detection) on a chirped single optical pulse.
Dr. Zhang’s infatuating energy and unwavering commitment to the field were among the reason why RPI THz Research center received more than $24 million dollars from 60 separate sponsors between 2002 and 2011 while he headed it.
When asked about any advice to new graduate students, Dr. Zhang’s response is simply, “Think about how you can outdo your advisor.”

ITMO University is grateful for Dr. Zhang’s leadership, collaboration and friendship and excited about the future.

Dr. Sergei Kozlov, who co-heads with Dr. Zhang ITMO’s International Institute “Photonics and Optoinformatics,” said:

“Xi-Cheng’s contribution to Terahertz research is enormous. It’s important to note his personal research results that shaped the development of Terahertz science and technology. The article talks about that. But besides that he’s the organizer of the world’s leading research centers in this field. Before working with our International Institute “Photonics and Optoinformatics” as its head of research, Xi-Cheng was the head researcher at the National Laboratory for Optoelectronics in Huazhong University of Science & Technology,Wuhan. Now it’s the leading international laboratory of optoelectronics in China and the world.”

Talking about Dr. Zhang’s contribution to our Institute, Dr. Kozlov said:

“Xi-Cheng is an outstanding organizer and a renowned scientist. He heads the Optical Society (OSA). With his help we’re working to improve the status of our Optical Journal that collaborates with OSA. We have a joint road map for raising the Journal’s impact factor. Xi-Cheng is the director of the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester, by many rating a top university in the USA in Photonics. We’ve developed a joint master’s degree program between our universities. This year, first Russian students received two master’s diplomas at graduation: one from ITMO University and one from the University of Rochester. Six American students studied last summer at our International Institute in St. Petersburg. But even more significantly, Xi-Cheng helps us determine the breakthrough areas of research. Right now, for example, we’re studying quantum terahertz tomography.”