A legacy of scientific curiosity

Alan’s lifelong career in physics was marked by many milestones. As a student at the University of Auckland he pioneered the detection of radio waves from sunspots and later obtained a PhD in radio-astronomy from the University of Manchester. While working at Harvard University, he spearheaded the establishment of the Harvard Radio Astronomy Station and taught future leaders, including 1993 Nobel Prize for Physics winner Joseph Taylor.

Following his passing in 2021, Alan left a bequest of nearly $3 million to the University to establish the Alan Maxwell Science PhD Scholarship and support, in perpetuity, students studying physics, computer science or mathematics. Now, the scholarship’s current recipient is continuing his journey of scientific advancement.

“This scholarship has meant far more than financial support to me,” says Ruofan Wang, who is in the third year of a PhD in computer science focused on multimodal representation learning and artificial intelligence.

“Dr Alan Maxwell’s legacy in scientific curiosity and commitment to education is deeply inspiring and gives me confidence and a sense of responsibility to pursue meaningful research and contribute to our student community.” 

He likens the challenges of a PhD to climbing a foggy mountain, where the path is unclear and the end point unknown: “Sometimes you go the wrong way and have to retrace your steps, which is disappointing. Alan probably faced problems during his PhD, but he got through them and became an excellent physicist and teacher – so why can’t I?”

Ruofan grew up in China’s small but populous Henan Province, where he developed an early interest in science fiction films and books. This, and a fascination with computer science’s dynamic nature, spurred him to enrol in a Bachelor of Computer Science at Chongqing’s Southwest University in 2017. There he had the opportunity to pursue a Master of Professional Studies in Data Science at the University of Auckland in 2021 through a collaboration between the two institutions.

Leaving his family in China, he moved to New Zealand and found himself welcomed into the University’s community. Progressing to a PhD, he took on the role of graduate teaching assistant and later professional teaching fellow, where he discovered a love of teaching he connects to Alan.

“I’m inspired by Alan to share my knowledge with younger students. He showed me being a good teacher is not only about achieving in research, but educating the next generation.” 

This is something Ruofan intends to continue in the future, along with furthering computer science research – possibly as part of postdoctoral study, if the opportunity arises.

“I’m motivated to build stronger interdisciplinary collaborations, applying AI to meaningful real-world challenges across domains. Wherever I land, I hope to contribute as someone who can advance research and create practical impact.”