University Paderborn welcomes the new Professor Dr Lin Wang to its ranks. Professor Wang has headed the Computer Networks Group at Paderborn University since November 2023 and brings with him a wealth of experience and enthusiasm.
Lin Wang's professional journey began with a PhD at the Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. During his PhD, he visited IMDEA Networks Institute in Madrid, which marked the start of his Europe journey. After his PhD, he first spent a year at the University of Luxembourg and then became an Athene Young Investigator at Technical University of Darmstadt and part of a large DFG Collaborative Research Center called MAKI. Before coming to UPB, he held the position of tenured assistant professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where he learnt, among other things, how to develop new lines of research and how to design new courses to properly engage students.
During his career, Wang has not only worked on theoretical aspects of computer networks, but has also developed a passion for practical systems. One of the key turning points in his career was the reorientation of his research interests. During the first part of his PhD, he mainly focussed on the theoretical aspects of computer networks. While the research was fun, he was also eager to look for ways to translate his work into practical systems.
In his search for new impulses and perspectives, he sought dialogue with leading researchers from industrial research laboratories such as IBM Research. The inspiring conversations and impressions he gained in the process prompted him to change his approach. He began to focus more on the practical systems aspect of his research, without neglecting his sound theoretical knowledge.
Prof Lin Wang works broadly in networked systems, where he not only focuses on the efficiency and sustainability of networked systems, but also attaches great importance to cooperation with other departments. He is pursuing two specific priorities.
Firstly, he is striving for more intensive cooperation with experts in the field of hardware. He emphasises the need for innovative hardware design in order to meet the growing demands on networks. In this context, he is already in close contact with Prof Dr Marco Platzner. "The concept of in-network computing requires the joint consideration and development of hardware architectures and programming models for both computing elements and network components. I am very much looking forward to working with Prof Wang on this exciting interface between computing and networking," says Platzner.
Wang is also focussing on networked systems for machine learning. He is convinced that a better understanding of machine learning will help to make computer networks more efficient. It is important to understand how machine learning works and what are the new opportunities that can be leveraged to optimize the network.
"So in the sense that right now, it's not just about getting the network to work," explains Wang, "it's already there, but now we have to focus on more non-functional requirements like how to make it more sustainable with much reduced carbon footprint and also how to make it more resilient."
He is extremely grateful for the mentors and colleagues who have supported him along the way and continue to do so. He has been fortunate to meet a number of outstanding individuals who have not only stood by him and given him advice in challenging times, but have also been instrumental in teaching him how to develop an excellent research mind and persevere in difficult moments. He now wants to pass on this knowledge and skills to the students at University Paderborn.
In his spare time, Wang is an avid hiker who has already discovered some beautiful routes in and around Paderborn. He also enjoys Chinese chess and programming. For him, it is the moments when a small detail is fixed and things start to work that ignite his passion for programming.
With his commitment to interdisciplinary research and his vision for a more efficient and sustainable future of the Internet, Professor Lin Wang is an asset to University Paderborn and its students. "As the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics, we are extremely pleased to have gained a proven expert in the field of computer networks in Prof Dr Lin Wang. Prof. Wang is not only researching exciting and forward-looking topics, but will also enormously enrich the courses offered for the Computer Science and Computer Engineering degree programmes in this important field," adds Professor Marco Platzner.
He will give the lectures "Computer Networks" (BA Computer Science & BA Computer Engineering) and "Advanced Network Systems" (MA Computer Science & MA Computer Engineering).
We wish Prof Lin Wang a good start at the Institute of Computer Science at Paderborn University.
