Guang Gong
Chinese-Canadian electrical engineer
- Life
- 1956 – present
- Born
- 1956
Guang Gong studied applied math whose research topics include lightweight cryptography and algebraic coding theory for wireless communication. Educated in Sichuan China, she works at the University of Waterloo in Canada as a professor in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and University Research Chair.
Early Life and Education
Guang Gong was born in 1956 and received her early post-secondary education in Sichuan, China, completing a two-year program at Xichang Normal Vocational School. She went on to earn a master's degree in applied mathematics in 1985 from the Northwest Institute of Telecommunication Engineering, now known as Xidian University. She completed her PhD in 1990 at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.
Following her doctoral studies, Gong undertook postdoctoral research at the Fondazione Ugo Bordoni in Italy. From 1996 to 1998 she was affiliated with and worked alongside Solomon W. Golomb, a prominent figure in the theory of sequences and communications engineering.
Academic Career
Gong joined the University of Waterloo in Canada, initially serving as an adjunct professor before advancing to associate professor. Since 2004 she has held the rank of full professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In 2018 she was awarded a University Research Chair, recognizing the sustained impact and quality of her research program.
Her research interests center on lightweight cryptography, algebraic coding theory, and sequence design, with applications in wireless communication and information security. Her work addresses the mathematical foundations that underpin secure and efficient communication systems.
Notable Works
Gong has authored and edited several books that reflect the breadth of her expertise. Signal Design for Good Correlation: For Wireless Communication, Cryptography and Radar, co-authored with Solomon W. Golomb and published by Cambridge University Press in 2005, is a foundational text connecting sequence theory with practical applications in communications and radar. Communication System Security, co-authored with Lidong Chen and published by CRC Press in 2012, addresses the security dimensions of modern communication infrastructure. She also co-edited The Wisdom of Solomon: The Genius and Legacy of Solomon Golomb, published by World Scientific in 2023 alongside Beatrice Golomb and Alfred W. Hales, a volume honoring the life and contributions of her longtime collaborator.
Recognition
In 2014, Gong was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), one of the most prestigious honors in electrical engineering and computing. The citation recognized her "contributions to sequences and cryptography applied to communications and security." She also holds a University Research Chair at the University of Waterloo, awarded in 2018.
