Recruitment

Prospective PhD students

I am looking for motivated PhD students to join my group. Potential research directions include trustworthy AI, AI x formal methods, LLM post-training and reasoning, and more. PhD students will be funded through a combination of fellowships, RAship, and TAship, and I encourage my PhD students to do summer internships every year. UCR has basic requirements for admission, including TOEFL>=80 or IELTS>=7 for international students if not waived.

Fall 2027: For interested applicants, please apply to the PhD in Computer Science program at UCR (application website) and mention your interests in working with me. I do not have the capacity to do interviews before official applications are in (i.e., around January). I would be glad to answer specific questions by email, but not generic requests to “discuss opportunities”, etc.

At this time, I have no opening for Fall 2026 or Spring 2027.

Why UCR? UCR is highly ranked in research-focused rankings – on csrankings.org, UCR is ranked at #27 in the United States. The CSE department has excellent opportunities for collaboration, with several recently joined AI/ML faculty members and diverse faculty on a variety of other research areas such as security, computer systems and networks, algorithms, etc. Also, UCR is located in Greater Los Angeles in Southern California, one of the best locations in the US, with easy access to restaurants, entertainment, natural attractions, and airports.

Current Undergraduate/MS Students

Undergraduates

I am also looking for current undergraduates at UCR. Interested students may contact me by email with CV and transcript, with a brief discussion on research interests and motivation for doing research.

Requirements: 1) Strong interest and motivation in AI research; 2) Basic knowledge and experience in machine learning (e.g., via undergraduate-level machine learning coursework or some online course); 3) Availability for a serious research project.

Undergraduates are encouraged to apply to UCR undergraduate research programs which may provide funding. For example, Mentoring Summer Research Internship Program (MSRIP) (apply by March 15, 2026).

MS students

Current MS students may choose to pursue the M.S. Thesis or Project option. Before officially enrolling into Thesis or Project, students will need to make preliminary progress (typically by the end of their 2nd quarter), to ensure that the option is feasible. Note that MS students are typically not funded and cannot stay as volunteers on F-1 OPT after their graduation.

Remote volunteers

Remote volunteers (undergraduate or M.S. students at other U.S. institutions) are also welcome. See “Undergraduates” above.