Dr. Jian Zhu

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Jian Zhu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of British Columbia. He holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics and Scientific Computing from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His research interests encompass Computational Sociolinguistics, Natural Language Processing, and Spoken Language Processing. Dr. Zhu has a strong focus on unsupervised and semi-supervised methods for speech segmentation and alignment, multilingual speech processing, and spoken information retrieval. He is particularly interested in language dynamics within online communities. Trained as a linguist and engineer, he merges linguistic theories with data-driven methods in natural language processing and network science. He has previously held a post-doctoral research fellow position at the University of Michigan's School of Information and has contributed significantly to the fields of NLP and computational social science.

Research Interests

Computational Sociolinguistics Natural Language Processing Spoken Language Processing

Requirements for University of British Columbia

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.3
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:21
Speaking
Required:21
Total
Required:100
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in Philosophy or related field 3 credits in formal logic 6 credits at the upper level in history of philosophy 3 credits at the upper level in ethics or value theory 6 credits at the upper level in metaphysics, epistemology, or philosophy of science
Application Checklist
  • Online application form
  • Application fee
  • Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Writing sample (15-20 pages)
  • Statement of intent
  • Evidence of English language proficiency
Specialization Notes

Offers course-only and thesis routes. Focus areas include philosophy of science, mind, ethics, and Asian philosophy.