Could you tell us about your contribution, Ningrong?

I have been honoured with recognition for my outstanding contribution to Research and Innovation and significant contribution to Teaching and Learning.

Through my research, I aim to develop practical and commercially viable solutions to public health challenges. My work is underpinned by a clear innovation pathway to yield the greatest impact on society.

My vision is to develop a scalable and sustainable service platform for multi-disease detection and monitoring. This has driven me to create technologies that harness wearable devices and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect atrial fibrillation (AF) and sleep apnoea. These technological innovations hold promising potential to improve AF and sleep apnoea detection allowing earlier treatment and reduced morbidity.

To test these technologies, I spearheaded two clinical studies, in collaboration with clinical and industry partners. Clinical evidence showed that both AF and sleep apnoea can be detected based on cardiac electrical activity in the home environment. To advance these technologies towards commercialization, I successfully secured Innovate UK funding.

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I am guest editor for the Journal of Applied Science and AI-based automated recognition and detection in healthcare. In this role I actively contribute to the advancement and quality of research in these fields. I also work as an expert reviewer for the National Institute for Health and Care Research programme further underlines the recognition of my expertise and contributions. Since 2021, I have been a mentor on the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC) Accelerator program—an esteemed R&D initiative. Through this role, I provide invaluable support and mentorship to pre-revenue and early-stage health and wellbeing companies. This fosters their growth and enriches my own professional development and networking endeavours.

What does it mean personally to you to be an associate professor at Hallam?

Attaining the position of an associate professor is profoundly fulfilling for me. It symbolises the culmination of expertise and dedication. The prospect of imparting knowledge, conducting impactful research, and inspiring our students holds immense value for me.

Tell us a bit about your career story so far.

I hold a PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Before joining Hallam, I was a visiting scholar at Georgia Institute of Technology, USA. I also worked as a researcher at Centre of Innovation at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore. Before that, I was a lecturer at Wuhan Institute of Technology, China, where I led the industrial training program of surface mount technology in collaboration with Foxconn Technology Group.

In 2016, I joined Sheffield Hallam as a lecturer, achieving promotion to senior lecturer in 2019. I currently hold the role of course leader for the MSc Advanced Engineering and Management program within the Department of Engineering and Mathematics.

If you could go back in time and give yourself some career advice, what would it be?
Please don’t dismiss yourself for an opportunity before anyone else even weighs in. Nobody will be 100% prepared – take the leap.

What’s next? How do you want to further develop your contribution?

My forthcoming objective centres on conducting world leading research in digital health and develop practical and commercially viable solutions to public health challenges. This includes:

• orchestrating a consistent upward trajectory in research funding and impact creation
• developing research leadership skills and contributing to the research excellence at Hallam
• shaping our students’ future through inspirational teaching, mentoring, and service delivery.