Welcome
Hao Fang
PhD Candidate @ University of Edinburgh
I am a PhD candidate in the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, advised by Dr. Yunjie Yang, with graduation expected in May 2027. My doctoral research develops structure-aware imaging of pulmonary function dynamics through digital respiration-driven learning. My work brings together computational imaging, intelligent sensing, digital twins, and computer vision, including 3D/4D pulmonary electrical impedance tomography (EIT), soft robotic sensing, and robust 3D point cloud registration.
Before starting my PhD, I worked as a Software and Algorithm Engineer at the JITRI Brain-Machine Fusion Intelligence Institute, Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute, developing brain-computer interface systems and supervising master's students jointly trained with Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. I received my MSc in Signal Processing and Communications from the University of Edinburgh, advised by Dr. Elliot J. Crowley. Through the SWJTU-Leeds dual-degree programme, I earned a BEng in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from Southwest Jiaotong University and a BEng in Electronic and Electrical Engineering with first-class honours from the University of Leeds. My undergraduate research was advised by Prof. Deqing Huang.
- Intelligent Sensing and Physical AI: learning-enabled perception, EIT-based sensing, electronic skin, and soft robotic tactile/proprioceptive intelligence.
- Digital Twins and Complex System Modeling: CT-derived anatomical modeling, COMSOL/FEM simulation, respiratory dynamics, and Sim2Clinic data-generation pipelines.
- Generative AI and Agent Systems: LLM/Agent evaluation, shopping-agent benchmarks, grounding, trajectory quality, and applied AI product workflows.
- Computer Vision and Medical Imaging: robust 3D point cloud registration, multimodal image fusion, pulmonary EIT, 3D/4D reconstruction, and clinical bedside monitoring.
News
Publications
Journal Articles
Published and Accepted
Under Review and In Revision
- H Fang, et al. (2026). DRGP-θ: Self-Balancing Gradient Coordination for EIT Monitoring Systems, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics. Minor revision
- H Fang, et al. (2026). MESA: Measurement-Driven Estimation with Spatial Covariance and Adaptive Contrast Readout for Inverse Imaging, IEEE Transactions on Image Processing. Under review
- H Fang, et al. (2026). Robust three-dimensional pulmonary electrical impedance tomography via training-free dual-frame network prior, Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence. Under review
- H Fang, et al. (2026). AnatoEIT: Reusable CT-EIT Fusion for Volumetric Pulmonary Imaging with Quantified Prior-Mismatch Limits, Information Fusion. Under review
- H Fang, et al. (2026). Accelerating Iterative EIT Reconstruction for Real-Time Tactile Sensing, IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics. Under review
- H Fang, et al. (2026). Fusing locally adaptive soft-clique construction with support-coverage consensus for robust 3D Registration, Information Fusion. Under review
- H Fang, et al. (2026). BRF: Bayesian-Guided Regional Fitting for Inverse Imaging, Pattern Recognition. Under review
- L Li, ..., H Fang (2026). DAVD: Density-Aware Versatile Descriptors and Progressive Correspondence Pruning for Robust Point Cloud Registration, IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence. Under review
- S Teng, H Fang, et al. (2026). Flexible Electrical Impedance Tomography for Tactile Sensing with Deformation Prior, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. Major revision
Work in Progress
- Z Liu, H Fang, et al. (2026). Physiologically realistic 3D+t lung ventilation imaging. Planned submission to Nature in December 2026.
Conference Papers
- H Fang, et al. Dual-branch Attention Regularization for Clinical 3D Pulmonary Electrical Impedance Tomography, IEEE I2MTC 2026, oral presentation.
- S Teng, H Fang, et al. Deformation-Insensitive EIT Electronic Skins via Honeycomb Lattices, IEEE I2MTC 2026, oral presentation.
- H Fang, et al. Multi-Modal EIT Imaging Using Lensfree and Flexible Impedance Sensor, 2024 IEEE SENSORS, DOI: 10.1109/SENSORS60989.2024.10784633.
- H Fang, et al. Frequency-difference Cell Imaging with Flexible Micro-EIT Sensor, EIT 2024.
- H Fang, et al. V-SWIR-IF: Visible and Short-Wave Infrared Image Fusion, ISCEIC 2023, DOI: 10.1109/ISCEIC59030.2023.10271197.
- H Fang, et al. (2026). LASC: Locally Adaptive Soft-Clique Construction and Support-Coverage Consensus for Robust 3D Registration, ICRA 2027. Under review
Patents
- Multichannel Electroencephalogram Signal Acquisition Device, Chinese utility-model patent, CN219147613U, granted 2023.
- Integrated Active Dry Electrode and EEG Acquisition Device, Chinese utility-model patent, CN219270940U, granted 2023.
Projects
Precision 4D Pulmonary Function Imaging (Sim2Clinic)
Medical imaging + machine learning + digital twins, 2023-present
Builds a Sim2Clinic data-generation pipeline for 4D pulmonary EIT: segments lungs, thoracic cavities, and other tissue structures from a large set of clinical CT scans; creates patient-specific finite-element models and electrode layouts in COMSOL; and generates a large-scale 4D EIT dataset through respiratory physiology and dynamic simulations.
Develops a modular training strategy, multimodal single-frame reconstruction models, and temporal autoregressive deep reconstruction models to reconstruct 3D/4D pulmonary function images from low-dimensional voltage sequences.
Models realistic measurement perturbations and develops patient-adaptive strategies, assessing robustness and generalisability using multicentre clinical data.
Major Non-Communicable Chronic Disease Imaging
Biomedical imaging research, 2024-present
Develops algorithms for continuous respiratory-function monitoring and pulmonary function assessment with Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Supported by a National Science and Technology Major Project (No. 2024ZD0522700).
Clinical Bedside Real-time Medical Imaging
Industry-university collaboration, 2024-present
Develops 3D lung EIT reconstruction algorithms for real-time ICU bedside imaging with Prunus Medical and the University of Edinburgh.
SELECT: Next-generation Soft Robots
ERC Starting Grant (No. 101165927), 2024-present
Studies EIT-based reconstruction methods for tactile perception and proprioception in soft robotic systems.
FLEX-AI: Scalable Electronic Skin for Soft Robots
ERC Proof of Concept Grant (No. 101292593), 2026-present
Develops perception algorithms for scalable electronic skin and autonomous intelligence in soft robots.
LLM/Agent Evaluation for Shopping Scenarios
Independent research project, 2026
Designs automatic evaluation metrics for shopping agents covering constraint satisfaction, grounding, factuality, comparison quality, and trajectory quality.
BrainTunes: Closed-Loop BCI Music Interaction
Software and algorithm development, 2022-2023
Designed and implemented a lightweight WeChat mini program for physiological signal acquisition, visualization, and closed-loop music feedback.
Experience
- 2024.03 - present Research Assistant, University of Edinburgh. Contributes to research and technical development; serves as a Tutor and Demonstrator for undergraduate and MSc courses, providing tutorials, laboratory instruction, and technical guidance.
- 2022.11 - 2023.09 Software and Algorithm Engineer, JITRI Brain-Machine Fusion Intelligence Institute, Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute. Developed BCI software systems and algorithms; supervised master's students jointly trained with Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, supporting dissertation research design, algorithm implementation, and technical development.
- 2023 - present Reviewer for IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, IEEE Transactions on Computational Imaging, and Measurement.
Education
- 2023.10 - present PhD in Engineering, University of Edinburgh, UK. Expected graduation: May 2027. Research on structure-aware pulmonary function imaging through digital respiration-driven learning.
- 2021.09 - 2022.12 MSc in Signal Processing and Communications, University of Edinburgh, UK.
- 2017.09 - 2021.06 BEng in Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, China. SWJTU-Leeds Joint School dual-degree programme; weighted average: 90.36/100, top 3%.
- 2017.09 - 2021.06 BEng in Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds, UK. First-class honours; completed an exchange period on the Leeds campus as part of the dual-degree programme.
Honors and Awards
- I2MTC 2026 Student Travel Grant ($1,200 USD), IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society, 2026.
- 2025 Outstanding Reviewer, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society. Recognition received in January 2026.
- First-Class Comprehensive Scholarship (Top 3%), Southwest Jiaotong University, 2020.
- Outstanding Student, Southwest Jiaotong University, 2020.