Lan Wei

Dr. Lan Wei is an associate professor and Canada Research Chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. She holds a B.S. in Microelectronics and Economics from Peking University (2005), and both an M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University (2007, 2010). Before joining Waterloo in 2014, Dr. Wei worked at Altera Corporation (now part of Intel) in California, where she was involved in power management and FPGA product development. She also completed postdoctoral work at MIT's Microsystems Technology Laboratories.

Dr. Wei’s research focuses on device-circuit interactive design, cryogenic CMOS electronics for quantum computing, and error-resilient computation. Her work explores the use of emerging technologies, including GaN, RRAM, and low-dimensional materials, for integrated nanoelectronic systems. She co-developed the MIT Virtual Source GaN HEMT compact model, which is now an industry standard.

She has contributed to numerous academic conferences such as IEDM, ICCAD, and VLSI-TSA, and has been part of the Process Integration, Devices, and Structures Chapter of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors. Her research group at Waterloo is responsible for the MIT Virtual Source Gallium-Nitride Field Effect Transistor (MVSG) compact model, which is widely used globally.

Dr. Wei has received the Ontario Early Researcher Award (2019) and the UWaterloo President’s Excellence Award in Research (2020). She teaches various courses in electrical and computer engineering, including topics in circuits, instrumentation, and semiconductor devices.

Her professional journey also includes stints at several prestigious institutions, such as MIT, Grenoble INP, and internships at IBM, Intel, and STMicroelectronics. Dr. Wei continues to lead advancements in quantum computing and nanoelectronics, contributing significantly to the fields of semiconductor devices and integrated circuits.

Dr. Lan Wei is an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, where she also holds the position of Tier 2 Canada Research Chair. She earned her B.S. in Microelectronics and Economics from Peking University in China in 2005. Following this, she completed her M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University in the United States in 2007 and 2010, respectively. During her time at Stanford, Dr. Wei worked under Professor H.-S. Philip Wong, focusing on advanced areas of electrical engineering.

Before joining the University of Waterloo in 2014, Dr. Wei worked at Altera Corporation in San Jose, California, now part of Intel. At Altera, she contributed to power management and FPGA product development, working with Intel's 14nm technology. She also held a postdoctoral position at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she was involved in device physics and modeling, particularly for Si and GaN (Gallium Nitride) technologies. During this period, Dr. Wei worked on optimizing device-circuit interactions and evaluating emerging technologies.

Dr. Wei’s research interests are wide-ranging, focusing on nanoelectronic devices, cryogenic CMOS electronics for quantum computing, GaN-based devices, and low-dimensional materials-based integrated systems. One of her notable achievements includes the co-development of the MIT Virtual Source GaN HEMT (High Electron Mobility Transistor) Compact Model, which has since become an industry standard for GaN FETs and is widely used across the semiconductor industry.

She has contributed to several academic conferences, including the International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), Design Automation and Test in Europe (DATE), and the International Conference on Computer-Aided Design (ICCAD). Additionally, Dr. Wei played a key role in the Process Integration, Devices, and Structures Chapter (PIDS) of the 2009 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS).

At Waterloo, Dr. Wei’s research group focuses on device-circuit interactive design and optimization, with significant contributions to developing systems for quantum computing and error-resilient computation. Her work also includes integrating emerging technologies like RRAM (Resistive Random Access Memory) into nanoelectronic systems. She has been recognised for her contributions to research with awards such as the Ontario Early Researcher Award in 2019 and the President’s Excellence Award in Research at the University of Waterloo in 2020.

Dr. Wei teaches a variety of courses related to electrical and computer engineering, including topics on semiconductor devices, electronic circuits, and instrumentation. These courses are offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels, reflecting her broad expertise in the field.

Throughout her career, Dr. Wei has also held several other academic roles, including postdoctoral research at MIT, visiting scholar status at Grenoble INP in France, and internships at leading companies such as IBM, Intel, and STMicroelectronics. These experiences have helped shape her expertise in semiconductor technology and advanced electronic systems.

Dr. Lan Wei's vision is to advance the field of nanoelectronics by developing innovative, energy-efficient technologies that can support the next generation of quantum computing and integrated electronic systems. She aims to bridge the gap between devices and circuits, optimising their interaction to create more powerful and resilient technologies. Her work focuses on using emerging materials like GaN and low-dimensional materials to design systems that can withstand the challenges of modern computing. Through her research, Dr. Wei envisions making significant contributions to the development of error-resilient, high-performance electronic systems that will shape the future of technology.

Dr. Lan Wei has received several prestigious awards for her contributions to research and technology. In 2019, she was honoured with the Ontario Early Researcher Award, recognising her innovative work in the field of nanoelectronics. In 2020, she received the UWaterloo President’s Excellence Award in Research for her impactful contributions to quantum computing and semiconductor technologies. Dr. Wei's work has also been recognised globally, with her development of the MIT Virtual Source GaN HEMT model becoming an industry standard. She has also contributed to the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, further cementing her reputation in the field.