The student becomes the teacher: Meet new faculty member Yeqi Wei
The student becomes the teacher: Meet new faculty member Yeqi Wei
Yeqi Wei joined the ECE faculty as a clinical assistant professor on December 16, 2025. Wei, a former UIC graduate student, is thrilled to be returning to Chicago and UIC.
Wei studied communications engineering at Northeastern University in Shenyang, China. Northeastern participated in UIC’s China 3+2 Program, which brought students from participating universities to UIC to complete a senior design project and earn a master’s degree. Wei was one of 45 students who joined UIC through the program in 2016.
“I was proud to see Yeqi and her team win an Engineering Expo award for their outstanding project on remote home monitoring and control, which included a web app and custom hardware,” said Vladimir Goncharov, a lecturer who advised Wei on her senior design project. “I recognized early on that Yeqi was an exceptional student in every respect, and I recommended her for PhD studies. I am very pleased to hear that she will now be joining our department as a clinical assistant professor.”
Wei earned her doctoral degree in 2025, under the mentorship of Richard and Loan Hill Professor Natasha Devroye and Associate Professor Wenjing Rao.
Wei credits Goncharov with reigniting her interest in computer engineering. She said prior to joining UIC, she was floundering, and Goncharov’s dedication to students and obvious love of teaching led her to become reengaged with the major.
“He has a lot of passion,” Wei said. “One night leading up to the Expo, he stayed with us until midnight. He sent us home and came back after two or three hours of sleep the next day. I never thought a professor would treat students like that and be so dedicated to them.”
At UIC, Wei served as a research assistant for about five years, a teaching assistant for two semesters, and taught ECE 265, Introduction to Logic Design, under the supervision of Clinical Associate Professor Jim Kosmach. Wei struggled with whether to remain in research or focus on teaching.
“I had a student who commented that I bring a lot of interest to not only the course, but to ECE in general,” Wei said. “At that moment, I knew I wanted to become a teaching faculty member.”
After earning her PhD from UIC, Wei joined Boise State University as an adjunct faculty member in their computer science department. She is thrilled to be returning to UIC, valuing the support she received as a student, especially from The Office of International Services, and looks forward to working with the students and faculty here. She also values the diversity of Chicago and UIC.
“A top university, a good university, should always have faculty that focuses on teaching and I’m glad to find that at UIC,” Wei said.
Goncharov said that Wei is intelligent, articulate, organized, and hardworking, as well as honest, kind, patient, caring, and supportive.
“Our students will benefit greatly from her joining our faculty,” Goncharov said. “Yeqi says that I inspired her to become a university lecturer. Perhaps that is because I have spent more than 40 years in this profession—and have loved every minute of it. Students can easily sense the excitement and passion an instructor brings to a lecture.”
This spring, Wei will teach ECE 265, Introduction to Logic Design, and another introductory-level course.
“I understand what it feels like as a student, and I put myself into students’ shoes to try to understand what they need and provide it as much as I can,” Wei said. “I create an inclusive and accessible environment and try to remove roadblocks, so they can really enjoy learning.”