Yongan Tang received his Ph.D. degree in Microelectronics–Photonics from the University of Arkansas in 2004. He worked on optoelectronics research projects in the nonlinear optics lab. After graduation, he did a postdoctoral stint at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and worked on fiber optics and nonlinear optics research projects (2004–2006).
Dr. Tang joined North Carolina Central University as a research assistant professor in 2006. As a research faculty member, his research focus moved to nanophotonics, and he studied light interaction with nanoparticle/nanostructures of noble metals. He became an assistant professor in 2015. He has been co-principal investigator (PI) and PI on projects funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense (DoD) and others. His current research focuses on the development of nanomaterials with applications in optoelectronics and beyond.