PhD Student Recruitment, The University of Hong Kong (HKU)

I am currently looking for >= 2 self-motivated and fully funded PhD students to join my research team starting in Fall 2026. I welcome applicants from diverse disciplinary backgrounds with a strong quantitative foundation.

Potential Research Directions:

For students with a strong mathematical and statistical background, potential research areas include:

• Causal Inference
• Interpretable Machine Learning
• Statistical Network Analysis
• Overparametrized Learning

For students with a strong engineering, computer science, or computational biology background, potential application areas include:

• Single-Cell Multiomics and CRISPR Perturbation Analysis (AI for Science)
• Quantitative Finance (with potential future industrial collaborations)

Students with experience in Large Language Models are welcome to explore opportunities to integrate this knowledge into any of the above research directions.

Application Process and Funding

Prospective students must apply through the official HKU postgraduate application portal. I highly encourage all interested candidates to explore and apply for funding opportunities offered by the university and the Hong Kong government. Securing external funding will significantly enhance your PhD journey and provide greater flexibility.

Here are some relevant links:

• Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS): https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/index.html
• HKU Postgraduate Scholarships: https://www.gradsch.hku.hk/gradsch/prospective-students/scholarship-funding
• Please check the IDS and SAAS website for specific funding opportunities that may arise.
• Application Period: https://gradsch.hku.hk/prospective_students/application/application_period

While I strongly encourage you to pursue the funding options mentioned above, please know that funding will be provided to admitted students who are a strong fit for my research team but do not secure external funding.

Express Your Interest

Students who are interested in working with me are encouraged to send an email to jinhongd@hku.hk. Please adhere to the following format for your email:

• Subject: PhD Application 2026 Fall
• Content:
  1. Brief introduction of yourself and your background.
  2. Clearly state your specific research interests and why you are interested in pursuing a PhD in these areas.
  3. If you have a preference for being affiliated with either the Institute of Data Science (IDS) or the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science (SAAS), please indicate it. If you are open to either, you can also mention that.
  4. Attach your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and unofficial transcripts.

Research Team Vision

My aim is to build a compact, collaborative, and supportive research team where we can collectively contribute to cutting-edge research in statistics, machine learning, and science.