Biography
Jun Wang is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Virginia Tech, with an affiliated appointment in Biomedical Engineering (BME). He obtained his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from UC San Diego in 2019. From 2020 to 2025, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University. He received his M.S. in Precision Instruments from Tsinghua University, China in 2014, and his B.S. in Instrumentation from Jiangsu University, China in 2011. His current research interests include high-density CMOS-nano system-on-chip design for high-resolution neural recording and modulation, low-power mixed-signal neuromorphic chip design, and bio-semiconductor hybrid system implementation.
Abstract
Understanding how neurons connect to create higher functions is central to neuroscience and may provide insights for bridging artificial and natural intelligence. Yet large-scale functional synaptic connectivity mapping remains a major challenge. In this talk, I will present our CMOS-nano electrode array for massively parallel intracellular recording and functional connectivity mapping. Using rat neuron cultures, we identified over 70,000 plausible chemical and electrical synaptic connections, substantially advancing the scale of electrode-based functional connectivity mapping. Building on this work, I will discuss three future directions: extending connectivity mapping from in vitro and ex vivo to in vivo; developing neuromorphic systems informed by biological connectivity; and creating closed-loop bio-semiconductor hybrid systems.
