Only Two in the World: CCDS’s Wang Yong, First Asian Honoured by IEEE for Advancing Visualisation

One of only two scientists in the world to be recognised this year, CCDS Assistant Professor Wang Yong has received the 2025 IEEE VGTC (Visualisation and Graphics Technical Committee) Significant New Researcher Award. 

The award is among the highest international distinctions for early-career researchers in data visualisation. It celebrates exceptional innovation and influence in the field, recognising work that has transformed how people visualise, understand and interact with data. 

Prof Wang is also the first recipient from Asia since the award’s inception in 2021, marking both a personal milestone and a proud moment for the region’s fast-growing visualisation research community. 

“It’s not only a recognition of me, but also of the visualisation research community in Asia,” he said. “Two decades ago, there were very few researchers from this region. Seeing the community grow so rapidly reflects the inclusiveness and diversity of the global field.” 

At NTU, Prof Wang leads the Visualisation and Intelligent Data Analytics (VIDA) Lab, where his research explores how people interact with complex data and artificial intelligence (AI). His work bridges VIS + AI (Visualisation and Artificial Intelligence), developing intelligent tools that help users understand not only data but also the reasoning behind AI systems. 

Among his notable contributions is GNNLens, a system that helps researchers detect errors in graph neural networks (GNNs) and has been integrated into the widely used Deep Graph Library (DGL), demonstrating the real-world reach of his work. Another breakthrough, DeepDrawing, uses deep learning to generate clear, high-quality visualisations automatically, lowering the barrier for non-experts to work effectively with data. 

Beyond these tools, Prof Wang’s research promotes accessibility and transparency by designing visualisations that make AI more explainable and data exploration more intuitive. “Well-designed visualisations can empower people to explore complex datasets and collaborate more effectively with AI,” he said. 

His research journey began during his doctoral studies, when he asked a simple yet enduring question: how can relationships and patterns in data be represented so that anyone can understand them? That curiosity has since guided a body of work influencing fields from quantum computing and financial technology (FinTech) to education. 

Reflecting on the recognition, Prof Wang credits NTU and CCDS for nurturing the collaborative environment that has enabled his success. “Data visualisation naturally cuts across many fields,” he noted. “At CCDS, I’ve had the privilege to work with brilliant colleagues and students across AI and data science, which has been instrumental in my growth.” 

Prof Wang’s achievement reinforces CCDS and NTU’s commitment to world-class, cross-disciplinary research, positioning Singapore as a leader in global visualisation science. 

“Research is full of setbacks and surprises,” he reflected. “You just have to keep going and focus on problems that truly matter.”