Forging shields with code

Powering ahead

"There was a spark in his eyes whenever he talked about computers," recalled Tang Yuhua, who served as a teaching assistant at the college in 1984. Compiler theory and mathematical logic were Wang's favorite subjects. Tang remembered that the young student always sat in the front row and eagerly asked questions during class.

In the early 1980s, China saw rapid development in supercomputing. In 1983, the National University of Defense Technology developed the country's first supercomputer, Yinhe-1, or Galaxy, making China the third country in the world to independently design and build a supercomputer after the United States and Japan.

Chen Huowang, chief software system lead of the Galaxy project, became Wang's mentor and quickly recognized his exceptional talent in computer science. He told Wang that the essence of computer science lies in rigorous logical reasoning and formal proof.

In 2003, under Chen's guidance, Wang published a paper on high-confidence software engineering technology. By introducing the concept of high-confidence software technology, he became one of the pioneering figures in the field in China. At the time, the discipline was still relatively niche and was widely regarded by his peers as both highly challenging and theoretically demanding.

"He is like a radar," said Mao Xiaoguang, who also studied under Chen and who is now a professor at the university's College of Computer Science and Technology. "He not only tracks the latest developments in the field but also thinks deeply about where those advances will lead."

Wang said his research has always been driven by the needs of national defense. He realized that military information systems, like the human body, could become "ill", and that tools capable of detecting hidden flaws in software were essential to ensuring military security.

Wang and his team have developed a suite of specialized tools designed to diagnose different types of software defects from multiple analytical perspectives.

The technologies developed through this research have made significant contributions to improving the safety and reliability of mission-critical software used in aerospace systems and major weapons platforms.

Promoted to associate professor at 28 and full professor at 33, Wang appeared to be on an unstoppable career trajectory, with nothing standing in the way of his remarkable talent.

However, Wang's life took an unexpected turn in January 2013. After experiencing severe chest pain accompanied by numbness in both legs, he was diagnosed with an aortic dissection, a life-threatening condition.

A grueling 13-hour operation saved his life. But the disease had already caused extensive muscle necrosis in his lower limbs.

Yu Fang, an associate chief physician in the department of orthopedics at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in Changsha, said Wang underwent several amputation surgeries to remove the necrotic tissue. Although the operations were successful, Yu and his colleagues were devastated, knowing that Wang would never walk again.

Several days after the first amputation in February 2013, Wang's wife, Huang Chun, who is also a researcher at the college, told him what had happened. "He was remarkably calm and accepted the reality," she recalled.

Yet the interruption proved to be only temporary. Confined to his hospital bed, Wang soon began reading work messages on his phone and asking about the progress of research projects, turning his hospital ward into a makeshift office. As his condition improved, he even began holding research group meetings with his students in the ward.

Zhou Jingwen, a professor at the college who was one of Wang's doctoral students at the time, attended those meetings in the hospital ward. He recalled that the discussions were no different from their regular research meetings. Despite Wang's illness, all of his graduate students completed their studies and graduated on schedule.

"Wang is like the ocean. While enduring countless storms, he remains serene," Yu said.

In 2015, Wang returned to his office at the university in his wheelchair.