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Positions
The Future Computing Lab (FCL) at NUS is looking for multiple highly qualified Ph.D. students, starting in Fall 2026. Please apply through the official application channel and mention my name in your application. Admissions at NUS School of Computing are mostly decided by the committee instead of a single professor. Thus, reaching out to me in advance may not give you an advantage unless there is an exceptional match. The committee will get in touch with you if we find you as a strong candidate after reviewing your application (see FAQ below). After you submit your application, please fill out this PhD Admission Google Form to make sure that I am aware of your application.
Postdoc and intern positions may be available to outstanding candidates. Please checkout these positions later on, as we will only able to make offers after I join NUS.
Research Interests
We are broadly interested in building efficient computing systems for important workloads, and we work across the stack (e.g., topics spanning ML, databases, systems, and architecture). Some topics we are exploring include:
- Systems for ML
- Software systems for ML
- Hardware architecture for ML
- Efficient ML algorithms
- Vector search and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
- Retrieval and RAG algorithms
- Systems for retrieval and RAG
- Systems for emerging workloads such as robotics and emboddied AI (topics evolve over time)
Feel free to check out our publication list to learn more about our research. Some representative examples include RAGO (systems for ML/RAG), Chameleon (hardware/software for ML/vector search), PipeRAG (efficient ML algorithm). You can also check out my talk about my PhD work and the slides.
What We Offer
- Research and broader guidance
- I will provide a mix of research freedom and detailed guidance based on your preference. If you are still not sure about which topics to work on, I will help you to shape your research directions. If you already have a topic in mind, you’ll have the freedom to pursue it. You will receive my attention and technical feedback in either case.
- I will help with your career planning and nominate you for appropriate awards when you do excellent work.
- I will support you in improving your writing and presentation skills.
- I will have weekly one-on-one meetings with you. The meeting frequency can be customized based on individual needs.
Competitive salary
NUS provides a competitive salary to all PhD students. In addition, our lab may offer extra compensation depending on funding availability.Internships
PhD students are encouraged to pursue internships during summer breaks.Vacations
NUS offers generous vacation (28 days per year) to support a healthy work-life balance.- Conference travel
Every lab member is encouraged to attend at least one conference per year, even without a first-author paper, with reimbursement.
What We Look For
Motivation
Research is hard. You should have strong reasons for pursuing a PhD. Without strong motivation, it’s easy to get lost or discouraged by inevitable failures during your PhD, such as paper rejections or unexpected experimental results.Mindset
Our primary goal in the Future Computing Lab is to produce high-quality and/or high-impact research. You should aspire to become a leader in a research direction, not a follower just aiming to publish papers. This is not easy by any means, so please ensure your mindset indeed aligns with ours before deciding to join.Research interests and skills
Your research interests should align with at least some areas we work on. The Future Computing Lab covers a wide range of topics, and we expect you to have some technical backgrounds in the topics that you wish to pursue within the group.
FAQ
I’ve recently received several emails regarding the PhD admission process. Below, I’ve summarized the most common questions:
- How does the PhD admission process work?
The PhD admission process at NUS School of Computing (SoC) is primarily committee-based rather than advisor-based. Once you apply, your application will be reviewed by multiple committee members, who will evaluate and score your profile. If you pass this stage, the committee will schedule an interview with you (typically with a professor other than myself). Finally, a committee meeting will be held to make the final decision on your application.
If your application stands out to me, I may personally recommend you to the committee. However, the final decision is always made by the committee.
The committee-based process is designed to give first-year PhD students the flexibility to rotate between different research groups before selecting their advisor by the end of the first semester. So there should be multiple professors who are excited about your profile.
In some cases, faculty members who are willing to support you with their own external funding may champion your application even if you’re not nominated by the committee. However, please note that this does not apply to me for the Fall 2026 cycle, as I have not applied for external funding yet.
- Should I reach out to you in advance before applying?
Given the committee-based nature of the admission process, I cannot tell whether SoC will extend an offer to you or not, even if your profile is impressive. Therefore, for emails asking about your chances, I can only reply with “yes, please apply.”
- What can I do after submitting my application?
After you submit your application, I recommend filling out this PhD Admission Google Form to notify me that you’ve applied. This will help me assess whether there’s a strong match between your profile and our research.
If I find your profile particularly interesting, I may schedule an informal interview with you. Following that, I will recommend exceptional candidates to the committee. However, please note that I cannot offer any verbal commitments at this stage, as the final decision rests with the committee.