Biomedical Professor leading non-contact radar sensors for better healthcare awarded top international Engineering Research Prize

London, UK: A world-leading researcher who is pioneering the next generation of low-cost smart radar sensors for non-contact healthcare, advanced human-computer interaction, and security surveillance has been awarded the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) prestigious £350,000 A F Harvey Engineering Research Prize.

London, UK: A world-leading researcher who is pioneering the next generation of low-cost smart radar sensors for non-contact healthcare, advanced human-computer interaction, and security surveillance has been awarded the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) prestigious £350,000 A F Harvey Engineering Research Prize.

Dr. Changzhi Li is a professor at Texas Tech University in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. His portable radar sensors enable the monitoring of individuals without on-body devices, remotely checking small motions such as respiration and heartbeat. Li’s innovations have provided greater clarity on medical conditions like sleep apnoea and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) – and can also be seen in the touch-free gesture controls found in today’s electronics.

Li’s work has also enhanced wireless human-machine interfaces and benefitted smart living and environmental monitoring – to provide accurate indoor user information and support next generation energy-efficiency and management. He holds 14 U.S. patents with three others pending. 

Despite the rapid growth of radar-based biomedical sensing, its integration into everyday life remains limited due to challenges with body orientation and movement, which can impact the reliability of obtaining useful high-quality signals. Li hopes to use the £350,000 prize to look at how to extract these interferences to enhance and improve the technology to achieve clearer readings and results.

On being announced as the winner, Li said: "I am deeply honoured to receive the A F Harvey Engineering Research Prize and I’m thrilled about the work ahead. The Prize will enable my research group to embark on a five-year journey focused on developing compound-eye RF vision technology for next-generation biomedical radar. Our goal is to advance low-power microwave sensing techniques to monitor key information of the human body without the need for wearable devices, ultimately enhancing the well-being of society."

IET President Sir Warren East CBE added: “The IET’s A F Harvey Engineering Research Prize supports the world’s best scientists and engineers to advance their research. Professor Li is changing the landscape of radar technology, which will have a profound benefit to society. We’re excited to support the next phase of his research.”

Professor Li will present his work at a keynote lecture, hosted by the IET, on 26 March 2025. The event will be broadcast live and followed by a Q&A session.

The A F Harvey prize is named after Dr A F Harvey who gave a generous sum of money to the IET for a trust fund to be set up in his name to further research in the specified fields of medical, microwave and radar, and laser/optoelectronic engineering, with the prize fund awarded to support the research of the recipient.

View the lecture website for more information on the award, including the virtual lecture.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Professor Changzhi Li biography

Changzhi Li received a PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida, Gainesville. He is a Professor in Texas Tech University's Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering. His research interest is microwave/millimeter-wave radar sensing for healthcare, security, and human-machine interface. Dr Li is an MTT-S Distinguished Microwave Lecturer.

He was a recipient of the IEEE MTT-S Outstanding Young Engineer Award, the IEEE Sensors Council Early Career Technical Achievement Award, the IEEE-HKN Outstanding Young Professional Award and the ASEE Frederick Emmons Terman Award. He was the General Chair of the 2024 IEEE Radio & Wireless Week (RWW), and an Associate Editor of the IEEE JOURNAL OF ELECTROMAGNETICS, RF AND MICROWAVES IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY.

He served as the chair of the MTT-S Technical Committee “Biological Effect and Medical Applications of RF and Microwave” from 2018 to 2019, the TPC Chair of the 2022 IEEE RWW, a TPC Co-Chair of the IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Biomedical Conference from 2018 to 2019, and the TPC Chair of the IEEE Wireless and Microwave Technology Conference from 2012 to 2013.

He is a Fellow of the IEEE and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. Dr. Li has been actively publishing radar and microwave research on various IET platforms, including an edited book “Modern Radar for Automotive Applications”, a book chapter in “Micro-Doppler Radar and its Applications”, and a book chapter in “Radar and Communication Spectrum Sharing”, to name a few.

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