Skills

Programming

Python, Java, MATLAB, C, C++, C#, VB.net, SQL, HTML, JavaScript, CSS

Machine Learning Tools

Numpy, Scipy, Scikit-learn, Pandas, Matplotlib, Seaborn

Deep Learning Tools

TensorFlow, Keras, Theano, PyTorch, Deeplearning4J

Text Editing

Latex, Markdown

Visual Design

Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator

Other Tools

Git, Docker, Google Could Platform (GCP), High Performance Computing (HPC)

Languages

Chinese, English

Work & Research Experience

 
 
 
 
 
September 2015 – Present
Wellington

Ph.D. Candidate & Part-time Research Assistant

Victoria University of Wellington

Responsibilities include:

  • Develop or co-develop new policy direct search algorithms for reinforcement learning (Java, Python, TensorFlow, Theano, PyTorch)
  • Develop a deep Convolution Neural Networks based image classification system for accurately and automatically detecting false alarms from low-quality raw images collected from remote cameras deployed in many bushes of Wellington. (Keras)
  • Mentor and supervise students including both undergraduates and postgraduates.
  • Collaborate with colleagues from ECRG research group to organize two international conferences: AI 2018 and CEC 2019
  • Develop and maintain the two conference websites: AI 2018 and CEC 2019 (HTML5, CSS, JavaScript).
  • Manage social media channels of CEC 2019 for publicity including Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Google+.
 
 
 
 
 
September 2012 – September 2015
Auckland

Research and Teaching Assistant

Unitec Institute of Technology

Responsibilities include:

  • Design and develop a decentralized network analysis system with real-time visualization that can automatically detect anomaly packets from online network traffic (J2SE, Java Agent Development Framework (JADE), Unity3D and MySQL).
  • Collaborate with colleagues to develop algorithms for financial data analysis (stock market and crude oil market) (MATALB).
  • Deploy and maintain three real-time Darknet traffic monitoring systems “NICTER”, “NIRVANA” and “NIRVANA Rev. 2” within Unitec internal network environment.
  • Write and edit research reports for National Institute of Communication and Technology (NICT), Japan (Latex)
  • Mentor and supervise undergraduates in their final-year projects.
 
 
 
 
 
December 2010 – June 2011
Auckland

Master Student & Part-time Research Assistant

Auckland University of Technology

Responsibilities include:

  • Develop new Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) algorithms for face recognition tasks (MATLAB)
  • Implement existing LDA algorithms for experiments (MATLAB)
  • Write and edit research reports for National Institute of Communication and Technology (NICT), Japan (Latex)
 
 
 
 
 
December 2005 – December 2008
Beijing

Network Administrator & Web Developer

Educational Science Publishing House

Responsibilities include:

  • Develop and maintain the core web-based Content Manage System (CMS) (HTML, CSS, ASP based CMS, Microsoft Access 2000)
  • Develop and maintain the internal Office Automation (OA) system (HTML, VB.net and SQL Server 2000).
  • Manage the content updates for the website and the OA system
 
 
 
 
 
September 2004 – December 2005
Beijing

Web Developer & Web Master

DragonFlow Network Inc.

Responsibilities include:

  • Develop and maintain the core web-based Content Manage System (CMS) (HTML, CSS, ASP based CMS, SQL Server 2000).
  • Develop and maintain a technical web-based forum (HTML, CSS, C#, SQL Server 2000).
  • Manage the content updates for the website and the forum

Publications

More Publications

(2019). Primal-dual Sub-gradient Approximation based Policy Gradient Search. Submitted for review to the journal “IEEE Transaction on Neural Networks and Learning Systems”.

Code

(2019). Proximal Evolutionary Strategies: Achieving State-of-the-art Deep Reinforcement Learning through Evolutionary Policy Optimization. Submitted for review to the journal “IEEE Transaction on Evolutionary Computation”.

Code

(2018). An Adaptive Clipping Approach for Proximal Policy Optimization. arxiv preprint.

PDF DOI

(2017). Evolving Transferable Artificial Neural Networks for Gameplay Tasks via NEAT with Phased Searching. Australian AI 2017.

PDF DOI

(2017). A Sandpile Model for Reliable Actor-Critic Reinforcement Learning. IJCNN.

PDF DOI

(2017). Automated State Feature Learning for Actor-Critic Reinforcement Learning through NEAT. GECCO.

PDF DOI

Teaching & Tutoring Experience

 
 
 
 
 
September 2015 – Present
Wellington

Tutor

School of Engineering and Computer Science, VUW

Courses include:

  • COMP309 – Machine Learning Tools and Techniques

    • Designed the course contents, collected data (6000 images), developed program templates based Keras and 5 weeks of tutorial demos (Jupyter Notebooks)
    • Designed one practical assignment (i.e., Regression Analysis) and one final project (i.e., Image Classification)
    • Evaluated assignments and projects with course coordinators
  • NWEN243 – Network Applications

    • Designed and developed two assignments (An Android image retriever app and A J2EE WebService application)
    • Provided technical support in weekly lab sessions for approximately 50 students
  • NWEN301 – Operating Systems Design

    • Evaluated assignments and projects with course coordinators
    • Led weekly lab sessions, graded practical projects and provided feedback for approximately 40 students
 
 
 
 
 
September 2011 – June 2015
Auckland

Part-time Lecturer & Research and Tutorial Assistant

Department of Computer Science, Unitec

Courses include:

  • ISCG 4505 – Introduction to Programming (Course Coordinator: 2011–2015

    • Redesigned the entire course contents in Python by removing complicated contents, adding more in-class guided practice and more practical assignments.
    • Graded all assignments and projects with detailed feedbacks and suggestions for approximately 30 students.
  • ISCG 5420 – Programming Fundamentals (Course Coordinator: 2013–2015

    • Redesigned the entire course contents by changing the Java edition from 5.0 to 7.0, removing outdated knowledge, and adding more guided practical sessions meanwhile reducing lecturing sessions.
    • Graded all assignments and projects with detailed feedbacks and suggestions for approximately 100 students.
  • ISCG 5421 – Programming Principle and Practices (Course Coordinator: 2013–2015

    • Redesigned the entire course contents by adding more contents about Data Structures and Algorithms, adding the concepts about System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and adding a more practical final project where student would have experienced a complete SDLC from the initial plan stage to the deployment stage and then to the final stage of presenting the product professionally.
    • Graded all assignments and projects with detailed feedbacks and suggestions for approximately 80 students.
  • ISCG 8042 – Data Mining and Industrial Applications (Co-lecturing: 2011–2014

    • Designed and Delivered 4 lectures on introducing basic concepts of Machine Learning and Data Mining for approximately 15 postgraduate students
  • ISCG 8029 – Computational Finance (Co-lecturing: 2011–2012)

    • Designed and Delivered 6 lectures out of 12 in total on introducing machine learning background and applications in financial domain for approximately 7 postgraduate students
  • ``She#” – Outreach Teaching Project (Core Member: 2013–2015)

    • Developed 6 Android apps as well as video tutorials for educational purposes to encourage more girls joining technical industry and to connect women in technology.
    • Visited 5 colleges with other 6 team members to deliver practical tutorials about Android Development to 12-Grade girls.
 
 
 
 
 
September 2010 – June 2011
Auckland

Tutor

School of Art and Design, AUT

Courses include:

  • Art & Math

    • Designed and Delivered 2 lectures on “The Mathematics behind Design”
    • Designed and Delivered 2 in-class tutorials on “The Mathematics behind Design”

Awards & Scholarships

Sep 2018

Victoria Thesis Submission Scholarship

VUW

$6000 NZD
Jul 2018

ACM SigEVO Student Travel Award

Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

$700 USD
May 2018

Faculty Strategic Research Grant

VUW

$3000 NZD
Jul 2017

The 26th International Joint Conferences on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI 2017) Student Travel Grant

IJCAI

$1000 USD
Jul 2016

Faculty Strategic Research Grant

VUW

$3000 NZD
Sep 2015

Victoria Doctoral Scholarship

VUW

Fully funded, $23,500 NZD p.a. for three years plus tuition fee
Apr 2014

Nominee

Unitec

Highest Rated Lecturer
Dec 2011

Eagle Technology Scholarship

AUT

$2,500 NZD for the top master graduate (First Class First Division)

Contact

  • AM 407, Kelburn Campus, Victoria University of Wellington