Interview at LIP6 Laboratory

In October 2025, I was honored to be interviewed by the LIP6 laboratory. You can view the original interview content on this LIP6 webpage.

Where are you from? What are your future plans?

My name is Wenzheng WANG, and I am currently a second-year PhD student (soon to enter my third year) in the SYEL team at LIP6 laboratory. Before my PhD, I obtained an engineering degree in Embedded Systems from ISEP, which has campuses in both Paris and Bordeaux.

My journey with LIP6 began with my graduation internship in February 2023. I saw a call for PhD topics published by EDITE, and the project content aligned perfectly with my interests. So, in November 2023, I naturally started my PhD research—essentially a continuation of my internship work.

After graduating, if the opportunity arises, I hope to continue with postdoctoral research.

What research are you currently working on?

My goal is to design a non-invasive, multimodal health monitoring system capable of simultaneously acquiring bioelectrical and physiological signals. Simply put, I hope to create a device that is as convenient and portable as a smart watch, but capable of accurately, reliably, and continuously assessing human health status.

Specifically, this prototype uses Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS), operating in the 700 to 2500 nm range. By analyzing the absorption and scattering of light in biological tissues, we can estimate parameters such as blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂) and hemodynamic changes, and also study the correlation between bioelectrical and physiological signals.

These signals are very sensitive to environmental noise and motion artifacts, so preprocessing and feature extraction algorithms are particularly important. When designing the prototype, although power consumption is considered, acquisition accuracy and response speed are the core performance indicators for such systems. Data throughput and power consumption are additional constraints. Integrating these factors makes the entire design quite challenging.

How do you organize your weekly schedule?

I don’t have a fixed schedule. Sometimes I teach laboratory (TP) and tutorial (TD) sessions at Polytech Sorbonne, the Licence EEA program, and the Master SESI track (Electronic Systems and Information Systems). At other times, I am in the lab developing the hardware and software for the prototype.

Recently, I have been preparing for my second year doctoral thesis progress defense—a necessary step before starting the third year. In the coming year, I will spend a lot of time writing my thesis and conducting in-vivo experiments to verify the prototype’s performance.

What goals do you hope to achieve at LIP6?

The primary goal is, of course, to complete my thesis and obtain my PhD degree. At the same time, teaching activities (such as Microcontrollers and Analog Circuits) have allowed me to accumulate teaching experience and further consolidate my technical foundation.

What are common misconceptions about your research?

People usually quickly understand the general direction of the research, but the technical details are more complex. Many people easily equate my project with consumer electronic devices like smartwatches based on Photoplethysmography (PPG) technology on the market. In reality, those devices can only provide some basic functions and limited parameters. In contrast, my prototype uses longer-wavelength near-infrared light, which can penetrate deeper tissue layers to obtain more stable and accurate physiological measurement data. I hope to bridge the gap between the convenience of daily use and true clinical value, ultimately supporting more effective health management.

What excites you most about your research?

I enjoy the entire R&D process: modeling, hardware design, data processing, and prototype verification. This project allows me to delve deep into the field of real-time systems and integrate various technologies. The upcoming in-vivo experiments are a significant challenge, and I look forward to delivering a truly usable multimodal system.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I am very happy to work at LIP6 and be part of this journey. If anyone is interested in these topics, feel free to chat and exchange ideas!