Dr. Hongyang Zhang

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Hongyang Zhang is an Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo, leading the SafeAI Lab. He is known for his research in machine learning, with a focus on inference acceleration, AI security, and developing world models for real-world applications, particularly in robotics and self-driving cars. He completed his Ph.D. in Machine Learning at Carnegie Mellon University in 2019, where he was co-advised by Maria-Florina Balcan and David P. Woodruff. Before joining Waterloo, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago, collaborating with Avrim Blum and Greg Shakhnarovich. Beyond his academic roles, he has contributed to notable awards and recognitions, including the Google Research Scholar Award and the Top Area Chairs Award at NeurIPS. His work is characterized by a commitment to advancing theoretical foundations and practical methodologies in machine learning, impacting deployment costs and operational efficiency for AI systems.

Research Interests

Experience

Assistant Professor

2019-01-01 — Present

University of Waterloo • Waterloo, ON, Canada

Leading the SafeAI Lab, focusing on advancing machine learning methodologies.

Postdoctoral Fellow

2019-01-01 — 2021-01-01

Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago • Chicago, IL, USA

Conducted research in machine learning under the guidance of Avrim Blum and Greg Shakhnarovich.

Awards

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Google Research Scholar Award

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Top Area Chairs Award

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Outstanding Meta Reviewer Award

Requirements for University of Waterloo

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
IELTS
Listening
Required:6.5
Reading
Required:6.5
Writing
Required:6.5
Speaking
Required:6.5
Overall
Required:7
TOEFL
Listening
Required:22
Reading
Required:22
Writing
Required:22
Speaking
Required:22
Total
Required:90
Prerequisites
Honours Bachelor's degree in Psychology or related field Strong background in Statistics
Application Checklist
  • Transcripts
  • 3 Academic References
  • Statement of Interest
  • Supplementary Information Form
  • Resume/CV
Specialization Notes

Includes fields like Clinical, Cognitive, Developmental, and Industrial/Organizational Psychology.