Academic and Teaching Staff

Dr. Yaxi YAN received her PhD degree in the Department of Electronic and Information Engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2021. She was an awardee of the RGC Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (2017 to 2021). She has co-authored over 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals and international conference proceedings, including Science China Information Sciences, Journal of Lightwave Technology, and Optics Letters. Dr. Yan has delivered invited talks at numerous prestigious international conferences, including the OPTICA Advanced Photonics Congress (SPPCom), OECC, ECOC, ACP, CIOP, and Photonics Asia. Active in the academic community, she serves as a technical program subcommittee member for OECC 2026 and OFC 2027. Her research interests focus on distributed fiber sensing (including forward transmission-based and light backscattering-based systems), integrated optical fiber sensing and communication, micro/nano fiber-based sensors, and advanced sensing applications. As a Principal Investigator, she has secured competitive research funding from key institutions such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC), and industry partners like Huawei. 

Publications

• Journal Paper (Selected)

1. Lu, Liwang, Yaxi Yan*, Bang Yang, Yanfu Yang, Alan Pak Tao Lau, and Chao Lu. "Towards converged networks: a review of integrated optical fiber sensing and communication." Science China Information Sciences 69, no. 6 (2026): 160301.
2. Tang, Xiaohui, Yanyang Lei, Jinglin Sui, Meng Xia, Yaxi Yan, Dexin Ba, and Yongkang Dong. "Optical fiber communication and distributed multi-parameter sensing integrated network for smart power grid applications." Science China Information Sciences 69, no. 6 (2026): 160305.
3. Li, Yinghuan, Jingming Zhang, Yaxi Yan*, and Alan Pak Tao Lau. "Traffic Monitoring Using Optical Fiber Distributed Acoustic Sensing for Metropolitan Environments." Journal of Lightwave Technology (2025).
4. Wangliang Kong, Fei Liu, Guo Zhu, Yaxi Yan, Xian Zhou. “Localization Enhancement of Forward-Transmission Distributed Vibration Sensors Using Phase Differentiation Endpoint Amplification” IEEE Sensors Journal, 2024
5. Jingming Zhang, Yaxi Yan*, Shuaiqi Liu, Xingwei Chen, Alan Pak Tao Lau, Changyuan Yu and Liyang Shao. “Adaptive Block-Matching and 3D denoising for Φ-OTDR under ultra-low SNR conditions.” Journal of Lightwave Technology, 2024.
6. Yao Chen, Weixuan Luo, Baobao Jiao, Yaxi Yan, Qiang Ling, Haiyun Chen, Zhangwei Yu, Zuguang Guan, and Daru Chen. "Reflective all-fiber integrated sensor for simultaneous gas pressure and temperature sensing." Journal of Lightwave Technology 42(1), 463-469, 2024.
7. Yu Wang, Weihao Yuan, Yaxi Yan*, Zhenggang Lian, Daru Chen, Alan Pak Tao Lau, Changyuan Yu, and Chao Lu. "Signal processing integrated with fiber-optic Vernier effect for the simultaneous measurement of relative humidity and temperature." Optics Express 31(17), 28636-28648, 2023.
8. Yu Wang, Yaxi Yan, Weihao Yuan, Zhenggang Lian, Daru Chen, Alan Pak Tao Lau, Changyuan Yu, and Chao Lu. "Highly sensitive gas pressure sensor based on the hollow core Bragg fiber and harmonic Vernier effect." Optics Letters 48(8), 1990-1993, 2023. 
9. Yu Wang, Yaxi Yan*, Zhenggang Lian, Daru Chen, Alan Pak Tao Lau, and Chao Lu. “Fabry–Perot interferometers for highly-sensitive multi-point relative humidity sensing based on Vernier effect and digital signal processing.” Optics Express 30(22), 39946-39960, 2022. 
10. Hua Zheng, Yaxi Yan, Yuyao Wang, Xingliang Shen, and Chao Lu. "Deep learning enhanced long-range fast BOTDA for vibration measurement." Journal of Lightwave technology 40(1), 262-268, 2022. 
11. Yaxi Yan, Yu Wang, Hua Zheng, Daru Chen, Alan Pak Tao Lau, Changjian Guo, and Chao Lu. "Dynamic BOTDA based on spectrally efficient frequency-division multiplexing." Journal of Lightwave Technology, 40(13), 4451-4457, 2022. 
12. Yaxi Yan, Hua Zheng, Alan Pak Tau Lau, Changjian Guo, and Chao Lu. "Unidirectional ultra-long distributed optical fiber sensor." IEEE Photonics Journal 13(4), 1-7, 2021. 
13. Hua Zheng, Yaxi Yan*, Zhiyong Zhao, Tao Zhu, Jingdong Zhang, Nan Guo, and Chao Lu. "Accelerated fast BOTDA assisted by compressed sensing and image denoising." IEEE Sensors Journal 21(22), 25723-25729, 2021. 
14. Kun Zhu, Bin Zhou, Huan Wu, Chao Shang, Linyue Lu, Muhammad Adeel, Yaxi Yan, Zhiyong Zhao,Hua-Yaw Tam and Chao Lu, "Multipath distributed acoustic sensing system based on phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry with frequency division multiplexing technique." Optics and Lasers in Engineering 142, 106593, 2021.
15. Yaxi Yan, Hua Zheng, Zhiyong Zhao, Changjian Guo, Xiong Wu, Junhui Hu, Alan Pak Tao Lau, and Chao Lu. "Distributed optical fiber sensing assisted by optical communication techniques." Journal of Lightwave Technology 39(12), 3654-3670, 2021. Invited Paper 
16. Yaxi Yan, Faisal Nadeem Khan, Bin Zhou, Alan Pak Tao Lau, Chao Lu, and Changjian Guo. "Forward transmission based ultra-long distributed vibration sensing with wide frequency response." Journal of Lightwave Technology 39(7), 2241-2249, 2020.  

• Conference Paper (Selected)

1. Tang, Zhihang, Shuai Qu, Yaxi Yan*, and Alan Pak Tao Lau. "Linear frequency modulation based forward optical phase sensing for passive optical networks." OFC 2026.
2. Zhu, Guo, Hanyu Zhao, Fei Liu, Alan Pak Tao Lau, Chao Lu, Xian Zhou, and Yaxi Yan. "Localization Enhancement of Forward Transmission Vibration Sensing by Using a Fiber Ring Structure." ECOC 2025.
3. Lu, Liwang, Chuang Xu, Jingchuan Wang, Cheng Chen, Chao Lu, Yaxi Yan, and Alan Pak Tao Lau. "Integrated sensing and communications using external cavity laser with laser frequency comb." OFC 2025.
4. Jingchuan Wang, Liwang Lu, Li Wang, Yaxi Yan*, Alan Pak Tao Lau, and Chao Lu. "High-efficiency ISAC to enable sub-meter level vibration sensing for coherent fiber networks."  OFC, Paper Tu2J-3. 2024.
5. Yaxi Yan*, Kausthubh Chandramouli, Jingming Zhang, Chao Lu, and Alan Pak Tao Lau. "Multimodal traffic monitoring using two co-routed field deployed fibers in metropolitan environments." of OFC, Paper M1K-4. 2024.
6. Jingchuan Wang, Li Wang, Yaxi Yan*, Alan Pak Tao Lau, Chao Lu.” A Simple and Precise IQ Skew Calibration Method by Spectrum Analysis for Coherent Transmitters.” of ACP/POEM IEEE, 2023.
7. Li Wang, Jingchuan Wang, Changyuan Yu, Zhi Cheng, Yaxi Yan, Huan He, Ming Tang, “Interference Fading Free φ-OTDR Using Polarization Multiplexing LFM Signals with MIMO in Fractional Fourier Domain”, of OFS, paper. Tu2-6. 2023
8. Yaxi Yan, Yuyao Wang, Liwang Lu, Daru Chen, Alan Pak Tao Lau and Chao Lu. " Multi-point distributed optical fiber vibration sensing based on forward transmission." Proc. of OECC, 2023.
9. Jingming Zhang, Yaxi Yan*, Shuaiqi Liu, Alan Pak Tao Lau, Changyuan Yu, Liyang Shao. "Signal-to-noise ratio enhancement of Φ-OTDR based on Block-matching and 3D filtering." Proc. of OECC, 2023.
10. Yaxi Yan, Liwang Lu, Xiong Wu, Jingchuan Wang, Yan He, Daru Chen, Chao Lu, and Alan Pak Tao Lau. "Simultaneous communications and vibration sensing over a single 100-km deployed fiber link by fiber interferometry."  Proc. of OFC, Paper W1J.4, 2023.

• Bachelor of Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology
• Doctor of Philosophy