Heng is a PhD candidate at MIT Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics, with research focuses on the development of various mirror technologies of thin optics for X-ray space telescopes. Her current research topic involves designing experiments and conducting numerical analysis for mirror figure correction and stress compensation with ultrafast laser micromachining. She has a Master degree from MIT and a Bachelor’s degree from Tsinghua University. She is a member of SPIE, OSA and APS. As a motivated learner and passionate team player, she has worked for diverse student groups, organizations, grad dorms and sports clubs on campus. She is also involved in several STEM outreach programs, and has spoken in various occasions.