RICE UNIVERSITY · ECE PH.D. STUDENT

Howard Wang

Neuroengineering. Open trails. New perspectives.

I study neural interfaces at Rice University. Beyond the lab, you’ll find me running long distances, making photographs, and thinking on paper.

Explore my researchSay hello
Based in Houston, TexasA little more about me ↓

Background photography by Howard Wang

Neural interfacesComputational modelingDistance runningPhotography & writing

01 / A LITTLE CONTEXT

About Me

Neuroengineering at Rice University

I'm Howard Wang, a Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University, working with Prof. Lan Luan in neuroengineering. I graduated from Swarthmore College in 2026 with degrees in Engineering and Mathematics.

I want to understand how neural interfaces work as complete systems, from electrodes and recording hardware to signal processing and decoding. My background includes EEG analysis, spatial T-cell modeling, multi-camera behavior analysis, and robotics. At Rice, I'm building on that experience through experimental neuroscience and microfabrication, with the goal of developing useful neurotechnology.

Lab notebooks, long mountain days, and a camera sit side by side here. The landscape photographs on this site are my own.

Howard Wang
Howard Wang standing beside a tree in a blue suit

02 / SELECTED WORK

Research & Projects

Current focus: neural interfaces at Rice. Selected prior work in modeling, neural signals, behavior, and robotics.

Cross-sections of modeled activated T-cell density across a three-dimensional lymph node mesh
Activated T-cell density across sagittal, coronal, and transverse mesh slices
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE · BEGAN 2024
Computational Immunology

Spatial Antigen-Driven T-Cell Dynamics

University of Delaware - Prof. Ryan Zurakowski

Developed a finite-volume model on a reconstructed 3D murine lymph-node mesh to study how spatial antigen exposure shapes activated and memory T-cell dynamics. The current implementation treats antigen as a transported state concentrated near high endothelial venules and calibrates the response against longitudinal LCMV data.

12fitted parameters
16LCMV time points
200bootstrap fits
BMES Poster
MATLAB Finite Volume 3D Meshes Uncertainty Quantification
WALTER, a white 3D-printed six-legged robot with servo motors and onboard electronics
WALTER's fabricated 12-DOF hardware platform
SENIOR DESIGN · COMPLETED 2026
Robotics, RL & Embedded Systems

WALTER: Bio-Inspired Hexapod Locomotion

Swarthmore Engineering - with Matthew Shiley; advisor Allan Moser

Co-designed and fabricated WALTER (Walking Alternating Tripod for Evolutionary Research), a 12-DOF hexapod with CAD-designed parts, custom Hexapod V2 PCBs, Teensy control, and inertial sensing. Built optimized alternating-tripod gait workflows, deterministic MuJoCo terrain replay, and PPO training and evaluation with archived checkpoints and videos.

12degrees of freedom
3PCB iterations
3terrain tests
GitHub Repository Final Report
MuJoCo PPO Teensy 4.1 CAD & PCB Embedded C++
Plots showing macaque gape measurements, jaw positions, and individual landmark trajectories
Jaw kinematics and gape analysis from tracked facial landmarks
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE · BEGAN 2025
Computer Vision & Behavior

Multi-Camera Macaque Behavior Analysis

Ruten Inc. - Brain-Computer Interface Research

Built analysis and validation tools for reconstructing macaque jaw motion from synchronized high-speed camera views. Extended the tracking pipeline with 3D trajectory quality control, CT-referenced geometry, chewing-sidedness analysis, and gape/feeding evaluation so behavioral conclusions are tied to measurable tracking quality.

4camera views
4pipeline phases
±5 mmspatial validation
GitHub Repository Docs
SLEAP DeepLabCut Pose Tracking 3D Reconstruction Behavior Analysis
Neuroscience & ML

EEG Frequency Domain Analysis

Swarthmore College - Prof. Moser & Prof. Zinszer

Applied Fast Fourier Transform to EEG data from infants and adults during object recognition tasks. Used SVM classification to analyze patterns and studied coherence across electrodes to examine developmental differences in visual processing.

Code Poster
Python SVM Signal Processing EEG Analysis
Biomechanics

Thumb Kinematics Motion Capture

Swarthmore College - Prof. Towles

Helped develop an opto-mechanical system to measure 3D thumb-tip trajectories in cadaveric specimens. Assisted with calibrating the motion capture system and analyzing variation in tip displacement across thumb muscles.

NCUR Poster
Motion Capture 3D Analysis Biomechanics MATLAB
Engineering

EMI Analysis System

Tenco Engineering Inc.

Worked on a Python data processing pipeline to extract and visualize radiated EMI frequency profiles from test logs. Helped build comparison tools for identifying emission peaks and created diagnostic plots.

Python Data Visualization Signal Analysis Quality Assurance

03 / THE FOUNDATIONS

Education & Skills

Academic background and technical experience

Howard Wang graduation with Garnet stole
Howard Wang in graduation gown on campus steps

Rice University

Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering · In progress

Fall 2026 – Present · Houston, Texas

Focused on neuroengineering and neural interfaces, working with Prof. Lan Luan. Building experience in microfabrication, experimental neuroscience, and neural signal analysis.

Swarthmore College

B.A. in Mathematics • B.S. in Engineering

2022 - 2026

GPA: 3.82/4.00

Graduated in 2026 with a B.A. in Mathematics and a B.S. in Engineering. Undergraduate work combined computational research, instrumentation, and robotics.

The Waterford School

High School Diploma

Class of 2022 · Utah

GPA: 3.96/4.00

Graduated Cum Laude, completing 17 AP courses.

Relevant Coursework

Rice · Fall 2026 · In progress

ELEC 523 · Microfabrication ELEC 533 · Random Processes ECE 587 · Neuroengineering

Mathematics

Multivariable Calculus Linear Algebra PDEs Probability Stochastic Processes

Engineering

Engineering Mechanics Thermofluids Physical Systems & Optics Electrical Circuits

Data Science & Analysis

Biomedical Data Analysis

Technical Skills

Programming

Python Java MATLAB R C/C++ LabView Git

Technical Skills

Machine Learning Signal Processing EEG Analysis ODE/PDE Modeling

Art & Media

Chinese Calligraphy Ink Painting Studio Ghibli Illustration Documentary Filmmaking Photography

Languages

English (Fluent) Mandarin Chinese (Native)

04 / BEYOND THE LAB

Distance Running

Trail · road · mountain

Night trail race, CP6 Beigao
CP6 · 北高峰 Night trail
After CP6 Longjing finish
CP6 · 龙井 Finish
CP6 Tianma loop race
天马线 CP6 Finish
Chongli 168 mountain trail
崇礼 168 120 km
Fartlek training session
Training Fartlek
12Marathon finishes
550K finishes
2100K finishes
6100-mile finishes
2:44:37Marathon PR · Delaware
1:17:55Half PR · Birthday
3:57:4550K PR · Swarthmore
小红书 Strava Film

05 / THROUGH MY LENS

Creative Work

Photography and art projects

A photograph by Howard Wang

Photography

Photos from travels and outdoor activities

View on Unsplash
A photograph by Howard Wang

Art Portfolio

Art projects and creative work

View Portfolio
Orange sunset over a rocky shoreline, photographed by Howard Wang
A different kind of fieldwork.Photographs by Howard Wang

06 / NOTES & IDEAS

Writings

Essays and reflections

07 / KEEP IN TOUCH

Contact

Feel free to reach out

Résumé

Complete academic and professional background

Chinese résumé · PDF ↗

Email

For questions or opportunities

howardwhsrun@gmail.com

Schedule a Meeting

Available for conversations

Schedule Meeting

Direct Contact

For urgent inquiries

+1 (603)-285-5188