Yuanhao Liang


Yuanhao Liang

Hi! I am a DPhil student in the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, advised by Prof. Stephen Morris.

My current research lies at the intersection of photonics, advanced manufacturing, and artificial intelligence, with a focus on laser direct writing, soft functional materials, and photonic computing systems.

Previously, I received my M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California, where I was advised by Prof. Zaijun Chen. My work focused on free-space optical computing and VCSEL-based optical neural networks for high-speed, energy-efficient AI processing.

I have also worked on metasurface-enabled optical computing under the supervision of Prof. Qiang Wu. My broader research interests include neuromorphic photonics, optical information processing, and next-generation computing systems.

Feel free to reach out for collaboration.

Projects

High-clockrate Free-space Optical In-memory Computing
Yuanhao Liang, James Wang, Kaiwen Xue, ... , Zaijun Chen
Light: Science & Applications, 2026    [Paper]

We developed FAST-ONN, a free-space optical neural network architecture that combines VCSEL arrays and spatial light modulators for ultrafast AI computing. The system enables high-speed convolution and in-memory processing with low latency and energy consumption. We demonstrate optical inference at 100 million frames per second and scalable photonic training for next-generation AI hardware.

Publications

Journal Articles

  1. Yuanhao Liang, James Wang, Kaiwen Xue, … , and Zaijun Chen. “High-clockrate free-space optical in-memory computing.” Light: Science & Applications 15, 115 (2026).

Conference Papers

  1. Yuanhao Liang, James Wang, Xinyi Ren, … , and Zaijun Chen. “VCSEL Optical Neural Networks for High-throughput AI Training.” CCLEO, 2025.
  2. Kaiwen Xue, Lian Zhou, … , Yuanhao Liang, … , and Zaijun Chen. “Scalable, Low-energy Homodyne Computing Crossbar based on TFLN and SiN/Si Photonics.” CLEO, 2025.
  3. Yuan Li, Lian Zhou, … , Yuanhao Liang, … , and Zaijun Chen. “Single-shot In-sensor Optical Spectral AI Processing.” CLEO, 2025.
  4. Ran Yin, Yue Yu, … , Yuanhao Liang, … , and Mengjie Yu. “Intrinsic Frequency Noise of Thin-film Lithium Niobate Platforms.” CLEO, 2025.