Jinguo Liu and Xi Dai joint Phd program
The Assistant Professor Liu Jinguo's research group at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) and Professor Dai Xi's research group at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Clear Water Bay) are jointly recruiting doctoral students and research assistants in the fields of quantum many-body computation and quantum computation for the 2024 academic year.
Team Introduction
Liu Jinguo (main supervisor) is an assistant professor at the Advanced Materials Domain (AMAT) and Quantum Science and Technology Center (QST) established by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou). He obtained his Ph.D. from Nanjing University in 2017 and did postdoctoral work at the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Harvard University. His main interests include simulating the physical world using numerical calculations and thinking about the nature of computation from a physics perspective. Liu Jinguo is active in the open-source scientific computing software community and is one of the main authors of the quantum simulator Yao.jl. He has also mentored Google Summer of Code (GSoC) projects. His current main interest is using numerical techniques to simulate neutral atomic systems and designing quantum algorithms suitable for operation on neutral atomic systems.
Github: https://github.com/GiggleLiu
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4edw228AAAAJ&hl=en
University home page: https://facultyprofiles.hkust-gz.edu.cn/faculty-personal-page?id=2498
Team page: https://www.jinguo-group.science/
Personal website: GiggleLiu
Dai Xi (co-supervisor) is a professor in the Department of Physics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Clear Water Bay) and the Deputy Director of the Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics. His main research interests include first-principles calculations of strongly correlated systems and the theory of topological insulators. His paper has been cited more than 60,000 times on Google Scholar. He and his collaborators discovered the most important topological insulator material system to date - the Bi2Se3 family by 2018, and proposed a low-energy effective model that accurately describes the topological electronic structure of this material system.
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Rj1ZUlgAAAAJ
What can you learn from me?
First-class scientific computing training. Although it cannot guarantee that you will definitely become a first-class physicist in the future, your scientific computing skills will definitely be world-class when you graduate. This skill training will not be boring engineering practice, but more of a training in computational complexity theory, mathematics, and algorithms. I am one of the most popular authors of the Julia quantum simulation software Yao.jl. I have successfully mentored Google Summer of Code projects, laying the foundation for the OMEinsum tensor operation ecosystem in the community. At the same time, I am also the author of GenericTensorNetworks.jl, a library for representing and computing tensor networks for combinatorial optimization problems.
Training in quantum algorithms. I have some experience in designing quantum algorithms and have proposed quantum algorithms based on quantum circuit Born machines and quantum algorithms for generating symmetric quantum wave functions using quantum circuits.
Training in computational complexity theory. Understanding computational complexity problems is one of the ultimate theories that statistical physics hopes to explore, and I have rich experience in this area.
Training in simulation techniques and algorithm design for neutral atomic systems. I have worked on numerical simulations related to Rydberg atoms in the world-class team of Mikhail Lukin, and I am happy to impart my knowledge about neutral atomic systems to you.
Opportunities for extensive collaboration and exchange, including long-term visits to the Clear Water Bay campus where Professor Dai Xi is located. I also strongly support your participation in international academic conferences.
What can you get from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)?
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), abbreviated as HKUST (Guangzhou), is located in Nansha District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. HKUST (Guangzhou) is an independent legal entity and a mainland-Hong Kong cooperative institution that implements academic education. It is committed to cultivating internationally high-end talents with innovation capabilities and serving the technological innovation, industrial upgrading, and high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. HKUST (Guangzhou) and HKUST (Clear Water Bay) have jointly built Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 2.0, forming a single HKUST with complementary campuses.
HKUST (Guangzhou) will adopt the same academic standards and evaluation mechanisms as the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. According to the Hong Kong education system, undergraduate graduates are expected to complete their Ph.D. in four years, while graduates with a master's degree are expected to complete their Ph.D. in three years, without any additional annotations on their degree. The specific completion time depends on the study situation and research progress.
Applicants do not need to take a doctoral entrance exam but must meet the admission requirements of HKUST (Guangzhou). They can first join a research project as a Research Assistant (RA) and apply and prepare for their doctoral studies. During the RA period, the stipend is approximately 6,000-8,000 RMB per month. Successful applicants will be provided with a full scholarship of approximately 15,000 RMB per month.
Luxurious school facilities (see the facilities introduction at the end).
What are the requirements?
As a person, I hope you have
Integrity, a willingness to do good and resist evil.
A cooperative personality, willing to consult with others and help answer their questions.
In terms of skills, the following are a plus:
Studied quantum mechanics (required) and quantum computing.
Familiarity with the Linux operating system, experience with version control software git, familiarity with a programming language (Julia programming language recommended), and knowledge of data structures.
The following three books are required reading for our group, and prior knowledge of them would also be a plus:
Nielsen M A, Chuang I L. Quantum computation and quantum information. Cambridge university press, 2010.
Moore C, Mertens S. The nature of computation. OUP Oxford, 2011.
Golub G H, Van Loan C F. Matrix computations. JHU press, 2013.
Application
A Ph.D. requires a bachelor's degree or higher (no need to take the entrance exam), a postdoctoral position requires a Ph.D., and a Research Assistant position is mainly for students with a bachelor's degree who have missed the doctoral admission time. Preference will be given to those with backgrounds in physics and computer science, among other related fields.
Solid mathematical foundation, good English reading and writing skills, and programming skills, as well as research experience, are preferred.
The school requires that Ph.D. applicants have obtained a degree or proof of study in Hong Kong or an English-speaking country; TOEFL (with a minimum score of 80 for the internet-based test); IELTS (with a minimum score of 6.5 on the academic test).
Application process
Please prepare a complete Chinese or English resume, transcript (for doctoral students and research assistants), and published articles, and send them to my email: jinguoliu@hkust-gz.edu.cn. The email subject should indicate the position applied for and the applicant's name.
Suitable candidates will be interviewed by team members to understand their background, abilities, and research interests.
The vacancy for this position is valid until a suitable candidate is recruited.
School facilities
I have collected some information to help you quickly understand the luxurious facilities of this school.
Maker space
Gym
Swimming pool
River accross the campus
