Yi Chen

2026-27 Global One Health Fellow

About Yi

Yi Chen is a 4th year PhD student in Electrical Engineering developing miniaturized, noninvasive, and scalable wearable sensor platforms for humans, plants, and animals that enable continuous monitoring in natural environments. Yi believes that human health is deeply interconnected with the surrounding ecological systems, and his work pushes the boundaries of sensing technologies to develop tools to study these systems. His current projects include an underwater wearable monitor for freshwater mussels to aid water pollution detection and conservation efforts; a patch-like wireless sensor that mounts on plant leaves to rapidly detect pathogens and reduce crop loss; and a smart backpack designed for neural recording and stimulation in freely behaving locusts. 

Yi received his bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Music from Duke University. Having lived in China, Thailand, and Italy before moving to the United States, his international upbringing shaped his global perspective and wide range of interests. Outside of research, you can find him playing piano, singing in choirs, music directing theater productions, or flying planes around the Triangle area.

Contact Information

Email: ychen282@ncsu.edu

Faculty Advisor

Alper Bozkurt | Electrical and Computer Engineering