Zhiwu Huang

I am a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the Vision, Learning and Control (VLC) group within the school of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) at the University of Southampton . I mainly research generative computer vision and continual machine learning for artificial general intelligence. My currently focused machine learning methodologies include generative modelling, continual learning, and language prompting. The ultimate quest of my research is to empower machines with rational, emotional and imaginal intelligence.

I am looking for motivated and talented researchers/students to join our research group. Please have a look at the Openings and reach me if you are interested.

UK-based/International PhD Positions:

We are hiring PhD students to join our VLC group at the University of Southampton. The positions are open for those who are interested in researching Generative AI, Machine Learning and Computer Vision. For these PhD projects, we could offer studentships funded by the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Southampton. Each studentship comprises a tuition fee cost and a stipend for 3.5 years. This kind of PhD positions are open to UK based students, as well as international students that might be limited by our international funding. The full advert can be found at jobs.ac.uk.

The supervision team consists of the VLC group head (Prof. Dr. Adam Prugel-Bennett) and me (Asst Prof. Dr. Zhiwu Huang) in the University of Southampton. We will be working closely to supervise this PhD project. We have a good publication record in this area. For instance, we recently worked for an interesting paper ‘Freestyle Layout-to-Image Synthesis’ that will be published as a highlight (10% of accepted papers, 2.5% of submissions) by CVPR 2023. This paper introduces a versatile generative model to produce realistic-looking and creative images like ‘a warehouse running on a railroad’ and 'a hornless unicorn sitting on a bench' given an input segmentation layout. Through this PhD project, the position holder will gain a deep understanding of novel algorithms in computer vision, machine learning, affective computing and generative modelling. In addition, we believe he/she will enjoy our wonderful VLC group cultures (e.g., coffee morning talks, away days, journal clubs, group conferences) and receive opportunities to expand experience and knowledge beyond the topic of the PhD project.

Application Procedure

Please send your pre-application package including CV, transcript of courses and a brief statement of research interests to me at Zhiwu.Huang@soton.ac.uk. Two references are requested along with your application. Please ensure you provide the correct email address and allow time for these to be received to assist us with shortlisting.

Southampton-based Openings:

I am always looking for talented and motivated students who are interested in doing research with me on (a) generative computer vision, (b) continual machine learning, and (c) artificial general intelligence. Students with either EE or CS background are highly encouraged to apply.

Should you be already a University of Southampton student and is thinking of doing your PhD/MPhil dissertation in the areas listed above then please feel free to contact me at Zhiwu.Huang@soton.ac.uk and arrange a meeting for more discussions.

International Collaborations:

I am keen to collaborate with any outstanding academics as well as visiting students/academics who are interested in the research on (a) generative computer vision, (b) continual machine learning, and (c) artificial general intelligence.

Should you be interested in these collaborations, please don’t hesitate to reach me at Zhiwu.Huang@soton.ac.uk .

NOTE: I apologize in advance that I might not be able to reply to each individual query/application regarding PhD/MPhil/Intern/Visiting opportunities unless there is a good fit and you are a strong candidate.