Influential Woman · Higher Education

Yang (Cindy) Yi

Bradley Senior Faculty Fellow, Virginia Tech Bradley Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Alexander , VA

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree PhD from Texas A&M University Degree 2009 Member IEEE (Senior Member) Member ACM (Senior Member) Member AAADS (Senior Member)

Her Story

About Yang

I have been working as a professor for 13 years, focusing on semiconductor and chip design as well as artificial intelligence. I received my PhD from Texas A&M University in 2009. My main areas of expertise involve developing energy-efficient chips to address the current scalability and power consumption challenges in the field, especially as AI technology evolves rapidly. What I feel most proud of in my career is having the opportunity to supervise PhD and master's students and watching them build bright futures. I am a senior member of IEEE, ACM, and AAADS. Throughout my career, I've learned the importance of jumping out of my comfort zone because technology in my field changes so fast, and as a researcher, I need to continuously learn new things. I encourage myself to stay open to learning and growth, which has been essential to my success in this dynamic industry.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Yang

01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I've received is to jump out of my comfort zone. Nowadays, technology is changing so fast, especially for researchers like me. We sometimes need to know quite a lot of new things, so jumping out of my comfort zone is what I feel I always need to encourage myself to do. In this industry, you need to keep learning because the field evolves rapidly, and staying in your comfort zone won't help you grow or keep up with the changes.

02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I would advise young women entering my industry to open the door and seek mentorship, because that would be very helpful. Also, volunteer for high-impact work. In this way, you can connect with influential people and also stretch your skills. Building these connections and challenging yourself with meaningful projects will help you grow professionally and create opportunities in your career.

03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

I think right now, because AI has been changing so quickly, we need to make sure that we can develop very energy-efficient chips to meet the current scalability challenges and also power consumption challenges. Since I mainly work on semiconductor and chip design, the rapid evolution of AI technology presents both a challenge and an opportunity to create solutions that address these critical issues in the field.

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