Xihua Wang received his BSc degree in Physics from Peking (Beijing) University in 2003, and his Masters and PhD degrees in Physics from Boston University in 2005 and 2009, respectively. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto from 2009 to 2012. He joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Alberta as an Assistant Professor in July 2012. He was promoted to Associate Professor and Full Professor in July 2018 and July 2024, respectively.

His current research is centered in the general areas of solid-state electronics and photonics with particular attention to apply nanomaterials and micro-/nanofabrication for next-generation electronic, photonic, and optoelectronic devices. The research projects include design, fabrication, and characterization of colloidal quantum dot (CQD) and cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) based electronic and photonic devices, as well as micro-/nanostructured devices for sensing and energy harvesting.