By Phong Ngo  February 6, 2026 | 12:57 am PT
Liang Jie, a leading computer vision researcher behind widely used Microsoft technologies and AI sensor systems for elderly care, has left Canada to join a newly established Chinese university.
Liang joined the Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo in January as a chair professor at its School of Electronic Science and Technology, according to the South China Morning Post.
Launched last year, the institute is based in Ningbo, eastern China, and has received substantial backing from a Chinese semiconductor entrepreneur.
Liang has published more than 200 academic papers and holds over 20 U.S. patents, and has served on the editorial boards of six international journals and three technical committees of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Before returning to China, he was based in Canada, where he founded the AI company AltumView in 2016. The company developed the Sentinare intelligent sensor system for aging populations, which is sold across the world.
In June 2022, he was elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, one of 47 honorees recognized that year for contributions to research, education, and industrial applications.
Liang Jie, a leading computer vision researcher and founder of AI company AltumView. Photo from Liang’s LinkedIn
Liang earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Xian Jiaotong University in 1992 and 1995, followed by a master’s degree from the National University of Singapore in 1998 and a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University in 2003.
From 2003 to 2004, he worked at Microsoft headquarters in the U.S., where his research was later incorporated into commercial products and international standards, including Windows Media Video and the Blu-ray format, which are used by millions worldwide.
In 2004, Liang joined the faculty of the School of Engineering Science at Simon Fraser University in Canada, becoming a tenured professor in 2015. He also served as associate director of the school and chaired its graduate program.