FigureAsia 35 Under 35 · Healthcare
Zhengwu Liu
Age 29 · Neuromorphic brain–computer interfaces · Hong Kong
First author of a 2025 adaptive neuromorphic interface using a 128,000-cell memristor chip in a ten-participant experimental study.
- Approximate age at 31 December 2025
- 29
- Field
- Healthcare
- Country or region
- Hong Kong
- FigureAsia U35 Assessment
- 83.3 / 100
Profile
Career and documented record
Brain–computer interfaces often assume that the user's neural signal is stable while the decoder learns. In practice, human learning and machine adaptation unfold together. Zhengwu Liu's 2025 work approached that problem in hardware through a 128,000-cell memristor chip designed to support co-adaptation between user and interface.
In an experimental study involving ten participants, the reported system improved accuracy by roughly 20% compared with a non-co-evolving interface. The achievement lies not in sample size — which was small — but in joining neuromorphic computation, device physics and human learning in one closed experimental loop. Liu was first author and subsequently became principal investigator on a Hong Kong–funded brain–computer-interface project valued at HK$569,703.
The system is not a clinical implant or a cleared rehabilitation device. It remains an experimental platform whose performance must be tested in larger, diverse populations and in real tasks. Liu's inclusion recognizes a young Chinese engineer establishing independent agency in a field where energy efficiency and adaptation are essential to moving interfaces out of controlled laboratories.
FigureAsia selection
Why Zhengwu Liu is on the list
FigureAsia selected Liu for a well-defined scientific advance with visible leadership and a strong Asia-based research trajectory. The human experiment provides more evidence than a simulation, while the small sample and absence of clinical outcomes keep the score disciplined. His work is important because it treats adaptation as a two-sided biological and computational process rather than a software afterthought.
Verified work
The 2025–26 record
Principal milestone
128,000-cell memristor chip
Evidence record
Ten experimental participants
Scale or implementation
Approximately 20% reported accuracy improvement over a non-co-evolving interface
Field context
The work in its field
Within neuromorphic brain–computer interfaces, the relevant test is whether a result can survive scrutiny of maturity, attribution, validity and practical fit. That distinction matters: completed evidence is not projected benefit, and individual responsibility is not interchangeable with the wider team’s achievement.
FigureAsia U35 Assessment
Assessment breakdown
83.3out of 100
Substantive 2025–2026 contribution
18 / 20
The score reflects completed 2025–26 work in neuromorphic brain–computer interfaces, assessed at the documented maturity of small human experimental study.
Verified impact
10.5 / 15
Impact credit is limited to the measured study, regulatory, implementation or operating record stated in the profile; unsupported patient benefit is excluded.
Originality and distinction
10 / 10
The work creates or materially advances a distinctive capability within neuromorphic brain–computer interfaces rather than relying on title or institutional association.
Field and industry influence
8 / 10
The assessment recognises demonstrated effects on research, product development, care delivery or professional practice, with publicity alone carrying no weight.
Individual agency
9 / 10
Named authorship and the documented role of Research Assistant Professor establish individual responsibility while preserving credit for collaborators.
Durability and trajectory
4.5 / 5
The cited work forms part of a continuing programme, platform or research trajectory rather than a single uncompleted announcement.
Asian significance and global relevance
5 / 5
The Asian connection is material to the person's identity, operating base or populations served: Chinese engineer trained at UESTC and Tsinghua and leading research in Hong Kong.
Clinical and scientific validity
5.6 / 7
Clinical and scientific validity is calibrated to small human experimental study, with the profile retaining the evidence boundary attached to the result.
Safety, quality and responsible governance
5.6 / 7
Safety and governance credit reflects accurate regulatory language, study limitations, data stewardship and the refusal to turn early evidence into clinical certainty.
Translation and care-pathway fit
3.6 / 6
The work is scored for its demonstrated fit with a laboratory, regulatory, clinical, operational or public-health pathway, not for projected future adoption.
Access, equity and resource stewardship
3.5 / 5
Access credit reflects documented reach, capacity, affordability or inclusion while distinguishing service volume from proven clinical outcome.