In the laboratory of Duke University in North Carolina, Professor David Brady is sitting alone at his desk, holding an experimental data sheet in his hand.
This optoelectronic physicist, who was once a brilliant academic scholar, is now overwhelmed by a research project that has plagued him for many years.
Suddenly, a phone call from the U.S. military broke the silence with indifferent notification that funding was about to end.
Brady's heart sank, and the frustration of being ruthlessly abandoned welled up in his heart. He knew that this meant that his years-long project on a billion-pixel imaging instrument would have to be suspended.
Just when he was at his wit's end, a call from China gave him hope. A few months later, Brady embarked on a flight to China with his research project and passion.
Professor David Brady is a key figure in the field of optics, and in 2017, Duke Kunshan University released an ultra-microscopic photograph taken by a billion-pixel camera.
This is the photo taken by Professor David Brady after bringing the R&D team to China, the main product launched by the super 100 million pixel camera.
The story of Professor Brandi's relationship with China is full of serendipity. In 2001, Brady was a professor in the School of Computer and Electrical Engineering at Duke University in the United States. It was here that he came up with the idea of working on high-definition cameras.
In order to achieve this goal, he invested a lot of time and energy in research, hoping to build a surveillance network with high-definition cameras and improve public safety.
In 2012, the U.S. military showed great interest in Brady's research project, and with funding from the military, his research project made significant progress.
However, as the research deepened, Brady and the military disagreed on the direction of the application of technology.
Brady hopes that the technology can be widely used in public safety, while the military wants to monopolize the technology for military purposes.
With a notice, Brady's research funding was ruthlessly cut off. In the laboratory, he looked at the research equipment that was gradually empty, and his heart was at a loss.
"We can't just give up, David." An assistant said anxiously.
"I know, but now we don't have any financial support." Brady shook his head helplessly. Facing the expectant look in his assistant's eyes, he felt deeply guilty. In order to continue his research, Brady had to travel far and wide in search of new funding opportunities.
However, no matter how hard he tried, he was always responded to by shaking his head helplessly and refusing.
Just when Brady was on the verge of despair, a phone call from China brought him new hope. China has always attached great importance to scientific research and welcomes outstanding researchers from all over the world.
After learning about Professor David Brady's research project and his predicament, researchers in related fields in China immediately contacted Professor Brady and offered to help him and support his research.
A few months later, after much deliberation, Brady embarked on a flight to China with his research project. In the cabin, Brady looked out the window at the fading American land, full of anticipation and uneasiness.
After arriving in China, Brady's research team was warmly entertained, and after a short rest, they were taken to Kunshan.
The Kunshan government expressed great enthusiasm for Professor Brady's arrival, and after learning about the research difficulties of Professor Brady's team, they directly included him in the list of "Jiangsu Province Foreign Experts 100 Talents Program", and helped him raise 28 million US dollars in research funds to solve his funding problem.
In 2013, Duke Kunshan University, a joint venture between Wuhan University and Kunshan University, was established in Jiangsu Province, bringing together high-tech R&D platforms from across the country and around the world.
After learning of Professor David Brady's arrival in China, Duke Kunshan University directly hired him as an honorary professor and expressed its full support for his research.
With the help of the Kunshan government and Duke Kunshan University, Professor Brady's team quickly began their previously unfinished research and made significant progress.
In 2016, Professor David Brady and his friend William Wang set up a company specializing in the development of ultra-high-resolution cameras. William Wang himself donated $5 million to support the study.
In early 2017, Brady and his team teamed up with Duke Kunshan University to launch a megapixel camera. On the screen, tiny objects from a distance of a kilometer are clearly captured.
In the same year, Brady announced that it would launch the world's first array security camera and 100 million pixel mobile phone camera module products.
In fact, the technology has been a breakthrough since 2012, but it has always been in the hands of the Americans, and the cameras developed are bulky and difficult to mass-produce.
However, Professor Brady said that in the future, they will continue to promote the research of small and low-cost ultra-100 million pixel cameras, and apply them to more fields.
After learning of Professor Brady's research results, the U.S. government sent people to persuade Professor Brady to return to the United States, but he refused.
Professor Brady said that he had passed the application in 2018 and officially became a Chinese citizen, and now he is a Chinese citizen.
He also emphasized that Kunshan is supported by a variety of advanced research technologies, where he is fully recognized and respected, and that his team will continue to stay in Kunshan without worrying about research funding.
Professor Brady's billion-pixel technology is not only widely used in public safety, but also promoted to high-end fields such as aerospace, bringing a huge impetus to China's scientific and technological development.
Brady did not rest on his laurels, and he and his team continued to explore the field of scientific research.
In 2020, Brady launched a new research project in a newly built laboratory in Kunshan. This time, he has set his sights on quantum computing technology, hoping to make a breakthrough in this frontier field.
David Brady's story ranges from being abandoned by the United States to realizing his dream in China, showing the persistence and pursuit of a scientist. He proved with his practical actions that the development of science and technology requires not only individual efforts, but also an environment that respects and supports science. In China, he found his own stage and continues to write new legends on this stage.
Resources:
"The Computational Image Research Center of Duke Kunshan University was officially established" - China.com