We are actively looking for students who have the passion for advancing the state-of-the-art on intriguing research topics, and for writing high-quality research papers. Here are the current members of the group as of September 2024.

Chenghao Hu · Yufei Kang · Ningxin Su · Fei Wang · Yiren Zhao · Yining Wang · Yuting Zhang · Xindan Zhang

Chenghao Hu, Ph.D. Candidate

Chenghao Hu is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the iQua group, starting in September 2020. He received his B.Eng. degree from the South China University of Technology and M.Sc. from Tsinghua University. Chenghao’s current research interests focus on distributed machine learning, and specifically, using deep reinforcement learning to improve the performance of distributed training and inference.

Chenghao enjoys playing guitar alone in his leisure time, and he has a regular plan to work out.

Yufei Kang, Ph.D. Candidate

Yufei Kang is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the iQua group. She received her B.Engr. degree in Telecommunication Engineering in 2019 from Xidian University, China. In her undergraduate years, Yufei worked hard and performed well in her studies.

Currently, her research interests focus on building efficient and robust federated learning systems.

Ningxin Su, Ph.D. Candidate

Ningxin Su is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the iQua group, and joined in September 2020. She received her M.E. Degree and B.E. Degree from University of Sheffield and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications in 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Ningxin is not a “good” student at school. She loves dancing, singing and traveling. She thinks the museum is the best place to learn the history of a city, so one of her life goals is to visit as many museums as possible. Because of the pandemic of COVID-19, she changed her goal to visiting beautiful natural scenery. Her research interests focus on federated learning, specifically, asynchronous federated learning and federated unlearning.

Fei Wang, Ph.D. Candidate

Fei Wang is a second-year Ph.D. student in the iQua group. In June 2020, she received her B.Eng. degree with honours in Computer Science and Technology at Hongyi College, Wuhan University, China. Prior to graduate program enrollment, she spent two wonderful semesters at iQua participating in research studies as an intern. Fei’s research interests lie at the intersections of deep reinforcement learning, networking, and communication.

Fei enjoys hitting the gym and doing strength training. She loves to plan her trips to different countries and cities in her leisure time, stepping out to explore and experience elsewhere.

Yiren Zhao, M.A.Sc. Student

Yiren Zhao is a first-year M.A.Sc. student in the iQua group, and joined in September 2024. She received her BASc degree in Computer Engineering from University of Toronto. Yiren’s research aims to build efficient network systems for cloud and AI infrastructure. Towards this vision, her work focuses on network for distributed machine learning, next generation RDMA systems, and optical networks. She is seeking to optimize performance, scalability, and reliability in modern cloud and AI systems.

Yiren enjoys photography, capturing the beauty of the ordinary and preserving cherished moments through her lens. She also finds joy in painting and playing badminton.

Yining Wang, M.A.Sc. Student

Yining Wang is a first-year M.A.Sc. student in the iQua group, joining in September 2024. She received her BASc. degree with honors in the Division of Engineering Science at the University of Toronto. Yining’s research interests include distributed machine learning and datacenter communication. She is also interested in research and applications involving Large Language Models.

Yining is a big fan of intriguing music, movies, and books. She believes that life consists of countless meaningful moments and experiences, and she is never tired of chasing fun and challenging opportunities. You can join her for a post-rock live house, a long trail with breathtaking views, or a late-night drive with deep conversations under the stars.

Yuting Zhang, M.A.Sc. Student

Yuting Zhang is a first-year M.A.Sc. student, joining in January 2025. She received her bachelor’s degree from Xidian University. Yuting’s research interests focus on communication scheduling for deep learning training. She is also interested in Large Language Models.

Yuting is passionate about exploring the outdoors, especially climbing mountains. She enjoys immersing herself in natural landscapes, drawing strength from the forest.

Xindan Zhang, M.A.Sc. Student

Xindan Zhang is a first-year M.A.Sc. student who joined the iQua group in January 2025. She received her B.Eng. degree in Communication Engineering from Xidian University in 2024. During her undergraduate studies, she was interested in encrypted traffic classification. Currently, Xindan’s research interests focus on distributed machine learning and inter-datacenter networking.

Xindan enjoys running and is an expert at playing ping-pong, having won many awards since childhood. She wholeheartedly embraces the motto “live life to the fullest.”