WEIHANG LI
Ph.D. Candidate
Purdue University
I’m a Ph.D. candidate in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at Purdue University, working in the Radio Navigation Laboratory under the supervision of Dr. James Garrison and Dr. Melba Crawford. My research focuses on Earth remote sensing, with an emphasis on GNSS reflectometry, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and Satellite Communication.
I am particularly interested in bridging fundamental research and real-world applications—translating theoretical models, sensing algorithms, and data-driven methods into practical systems that can operate reliably outside the lab. My work spans the full pipeline, from physical modeling and algorithm development to data analysis and system validation.
Previously, I worked in plasma physics and process engineering, where I studied dry etch processes and gas breakdown phenomena.
Education
2022-2026(Expected)
Ph.D, Aeronautical Engineering & Electrical Engineering
Purdue University
GNSS, Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR), Remote Sensing
2021-2022
Master of Science, Aeronautical Engineering & Electrical Engineering
Purdue University
Plasma Physics, Dry Etch, Electric Breakdown
2017-2021
Bachelor of Science, Aeronautical Engineering
Purdue University
Internship
Samsung Semiconductor
SOC Location System Engineer
2023 Summer
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Performed Simulation analysis categorizing the impact of TCXO phase noise on GNSS signal quality, signal acquisition and tracking loop stability.
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Built a phase noise generator simulator with key TCXO parameter input for both MATLAB simulator and C++ hardware-aligned simulation model.
Micron Technology
Dry Etch Process Development Engineer
2022 Summer
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Involved in DRAM/HRAM dry etch process development; focused on word line Dogwood (Micron Codename for the WL metal) etch process on various structures.
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Collaborated with CVD, Metrology, Wet Process teams for vehicle design and testing.
Research
DroneSAR
2023-Current
NSF IoT4Ag ERC / Purdue University
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Lead the NSF IoT4Ag droneSAR project for developing the first of it’s kind drone based fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar system for agriculture applications.
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Engineered radar processing software including SAR image generation, interference filtering, motion compensation and calibration etc.
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Collaborated the system hardware including radar hardware development, embedded system, drone system integration, high precision GNSS system integration etc.
GNSS Reflectometry SAR Concept
2022-Current
Purdue University
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Proposed concept for GNSS-R-SAR, architecture and algorithm of SAR processing using GNSS reflectometry signal, performance demonstration through simulation.
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Applied phased array processing to resolve directional ambiguity in forward-looking geometry of GNSS-Reflectometry.
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High accuracy satellite positioning / clock synchronization from raw IF measurements.
CYGNSS Data Assimulation
2024
Purdue University
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Initialized the development of GNSS-R soil moisture data assimilation using Ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF).
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Acquired data product for CYGNSS soil moisture measurement and data required to run the hydrology model.
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Initial tuning on the Ensemble Kalman Filter by compare data to the SMAP Cal/Val site for optimized performance.
SNOOPI (Satellite) Science Operation
2022-2024
NASA/Purdue University
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Algorithm development for the first in space demonstration of using P-Band communication signal for earth remote sensing.
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Estimating the ionospheric effect and provide update to mission planning, data collection and signal processing.
Nano Scale Gas Breakdown
2018-2021
Purdue University
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Experiment design on gas breakdown characteristics under nanoscale conditions using custom microchips. Streamline tested 800+ samples, data collection and analysis.
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Performed SEM and AFM analysis on samples.
Featured Publications
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Garrison, James L., et al. "SNOOPI: Demonstrating Earth remote sensing using P-band signals of opportunity (SoOp) on a CubeSat." Advances in Space Research 73.6 (2024): 2855-2879.
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Li, Weihang, et al. "High Resolution Soil Moisture and Biomass Sensing Using S-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar on a UAV Platform." AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. Vol. 2024. No. 5. 2024.
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Li, Weihang, et al. "Assimilation of GNSS-R Soil Moisture Retrievals in a Hydrological Model for Root Zone Soil Moisture Estimation." 105th Annual AMS Meeting 2025. Vol. 105. 2025.
Award
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Out Standing Graduate Mentor Award, Purdue SURF Program / NSF IoT4Ag
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3rd place, Shark Tank Competition. NSF IoT4Ag