LONG Group

Lively, Optimistic, Nurturing, and Growing

Information for Prospective Students (Updated in 2025.07)

Thanks for your interest in joining our group. The research interests of our group lie in broad computer vision, machine learning, artificial intelligence, multimedia, and natural language processing. Thus, don’t hesitate to reach out if your only concern is about the research topics. Please read the following information before contacting me.

I will read every email but I may only reply to those with a good match. Meanwhile, due to the busy schedule, it may take some days/weeks for response. Sorry for the late response and thanks for your time again.

Besides, for Hong Kong local students and international students (except Mainland China, Macau, and Taiwan), please also highlight your nationality in the email.

What I can offer to you?

  • Good research environment consists of innovative research ideas for top-tier conferences/journals, and sufficient computational resources.
  • For junior students, I will provide first-hand research guidance on developing their research skills, eg, weekly meetings which can help them to grow up fast.
  • For senior students/postdocs, I will help you to develop your mentorship and leadership by co-advising some students and leading some projects, which can help them to become independent researchers.
  • For all my students, I will try my best to expand your connections in both academia and industry. Thus, I will refer you to some potential visiting/internship opportunities in top research labs in both companies or other top universities around the world.

If you have any specific questions about the mentoring styles, a relatively objective solution is asking (by emails) exisitng or past members in our groups. Of course, please remember, everyone has their own bias.

General Requirements

  • Enjoy research
  • Integrity
  • Optimistic and positive life attitude
  • Work smart and self-motivated

Ph.D. Students

The detailed deadlines and basic English language admission requirements for the Ph.D. applications at HKUST can be found on the official website: https://prog-crs.hkust.edu.hk/pgprog/2024-25/mphil-phd-cse.

Important! For students who need HK visa, the deadline for sending PhD offer:

  • Fall semester round: The end of May in the same year (e.g., For 2026 Fall, ddl is 2026 May.)
  • Spring semester round: The the end of Nov. in the previous year (e.g., For 2026 Spring, ddl is 2025 Nov.)

The deadline for HKPFS (Hong Kong PhD Fellowship) application is the end of Nov.

Qualifications:

  • For master students, you should at least have one first-author (or co-first author) publication in top-tier CV/ML/AI/NLP conferences or journals.
  • For undergraduate students, you should show your strong learning ability, such as a high GPA ranking among your cohort. Students with rich research experience (such as research publications or internship experience) or excellent coding ability are preferred.

Any interested candidates just directly send an email to me. It would be better to describe your motivations in the email (especially why you think we’d be a good match). The subject for your inquiry email can be [PhD -- YEAR Fall/Spring –- YOUR UNIVERSITY NAME -- YOUR NAME] (e.g., [PhD – 2026 Fall – MIT – Long]). For attachment, you should contain:

  • Your CV (including all intern experiences or publications, if any)
  • Undergraduate transcripts (highlight your GPA rank with perceptage in CV),
  • reference letters or NAME of YOUR REFEREES (strongly recommended, if someone can evaluate your ability)

M.Phil Students

MPhil application follow the same standard and requirement as the PhD student. The only difference is that you must be an undergraduate student.

Visiting Students

We always welcome visiting students for a wide range of collaboration. However, due to the funding situation and limited resource, the openings for visiting student are limited. Meanwhile, please remember, it will take around 2 months for visa application.

Qualifications:

  • Typically, for visiting students, you should be a current Ph.D./master/undergraduate student in another university.
  • The duration is typically 6 months.
  • For PhD/master student, you should have at least one first-author publication in mainstream top-tier CV/ML/AI/NLP conferences and journals.

Any interested candidates can directly send me your CV and representative publications (if any), and transcripts (for undergraduate students) by email. Please highlight the source funding support in the email, such as the funding from my part (HKUST) or other agencies (such as your own university). It would be better to shortly introduce how your research matches or complements our group’s research interests. The subject for your inquiry email can be [Visiting -- YOUR UNIVERSITY NAME —- YOUR NAME -- DURATION -- STARTING TIME] (e.g. [Visiting – MIT – Long – 6 months – 2026 Jan]).

Postdocs

First of all, Hong Kong government proivdes some postdoc fellowship, which can support postdocs (Please remember, the application deadline is the end of every Oct.)

  • RGC Junior Research Fellow Scheme (JRFS)
  • Jockey Club Global STEM Postdoctoral Fellowship

Due to the funding situation, currently, we have no opening for postdocs at this moment, unless you get above-mentioned fellowships. :(.

Qualifications:

  • Ph.D. degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or related fields, with relevant specialization.
  • Strong record of first-author publication in mainstream top-tier CV/AI/NLP conferences or journals.
  • Proficient in English. Strong written and verbal communication skills.

The typical duration for a postdoc is at least 1 year. Of course, we can further discuss extending the contract if you are planning to stay longer. Any interested candidates can directly send me your CV, reference letters, and a research statement by email. It would be better to highlight the name of 2-3 your collaborators (such as your Ph.D. advisor or other professors) who can comprehensively evaluate your research ability. The subject for your inquiry email can be [Postdoc – YOUR UNIVERSITY NAME -- YOUR NAME -- STARTING TIME] (e.g. [Postdoc – MIT – Long – 2026 Fall]).

Current HKUST Students

For both Msc students and undergraduates, please directly send me your CV and transcripts. The subject for your inquiry email can be [HKUST -- MS/UG -- YEAR -- NAME] (e.g. [HKUST – UG – Y3 – Long]). Typically, UG students can enroll into the UROP program or FYP/FYT (for Year-4 students).

Remote Collaborations

Due to Professor's personal limited time, our group usually don’t collaborate with students in a remote way.