Interview - Jing Qian

Dr. Jing Qian is a research professor at Baylor College of Medicine studying brain diseases such as epilepsy. Dr. Qian came of age in China during the country’s conflict with the Soviet Union, and went to Shanghai Jiao Tong University to study biomedical engineering. Interested in artificial intelligence, he pursued a master’s degree in computer engineering, then applied to various neuroscience and computer-engineering doctoral programs in the United States, considering it an ideal location for his terminal studies. He settled on Baylor’s neuroscience PhD program, coming to Houston with no preconceptions of what it might be like. Qian earned his doctorate in 1998, and began postdoctoral work with Dr. Jeff Noebels. He continues to live and work in Houston, but says that he would consider moving back to Shanghai after retirement.

View interview transcript PDFFull interview materials on Rice Digital Scholarship