Notes for Prospective Students
Due to the large volume of applications, I will only interview strong candidates who have submitted the application in the system. Please submit the application and mention my name if you are interested in joining my lab.
I’m looking for enthusiastic PhD and MSc (by research) students at the University of Alberta. Currently I work on three main research topics:
- Building AI-enabled systems that can understand and maintain complex software at scale, supporting challeging and real-world problems like program semantic reasoning, program verification, vulnerability detection, etc.
- Building highly usable and trusted AI systems for software development, including secure and privacy-preserving code generation, safety ensurance of coding agents, etc.
- Socio-technical analysis of AI impact on open-source software, education, and social productivity, leading to insights for designing better AI coding assistants.
What I’m Looking For
- Academic Background: For PhD position applicants, a Master’s degree is necessary.
- Research Experience: For PhD applicants, strong research experience is expected. A strong publication record in reputable venues is a plus. However, I look for potential and passion rather than perfection and publications.
- English Skills: Comfortable chatting and writing in English.
- Coding: You should enjoy programming and be good at it to implement great ideas. Evidence can be provided by your GitHub profile, replication packages of your previous papers.
- Personal Style: Self-motivated with good time management.
Note on Publications: Quality is valued way over quantity. Publications with significant contributions in reputable venues are beneficial, while numerous publications in unknown journals/conferences are not advantageous.
How to Reach Out
Drop me an email with “[Master/PhD Application]” in the subject line, including:
- A 2-page CV
- Your academic transcripts
- Up to 3 publications in English if you have
- A research statement (max 2 pages) if you already have cool ideas brewing
- Any other relevant materials that may help me understand you better
If your interests and skills seem like a good match to our lab, I’ll get in touch to chat about possibilities. No formal interviews here - just a friendly conversation about research and your future goals. The email must be in English. I may forward your email to my colleagues (with your permission) for their evaluation or if I think they are more suitable for your career.
General Application Process
For all the official details about applications, deadlines, language requirements, scholarships, and tuition, check out the University of Alberta Graduate Studies website.
Questions? Feel free to email me anytime [email protected]. I’m always happy to chat about research and potential projects!