Xueyu Hou - ECE PhD Student of the Month - September 2022
Xueyu Hou a Ph.D. student in Electrical Engineering at NJIT, advised by Dr. Tao Han. Her research interests include deep Learning acceleration in mobile and edge computing, security of machine learning, distributed machine learning on edge, mixed reality, and live volumetric streaming. Before her current Ph.D. program, she was in power electronics area where she did research on power semiconductors and microgrids.
What do you think would be an impactful move in your research area?
My research focuses on integrating state-of-the-art deep learning techniques into mobile and edge computing applications like video analytics and augmented reality. Most studies in deep learning area addresses more on underlying deep learning algorithms and novel architecture proposals. However, when applying these techniques into real-world and practical applications, new challenges emerge on user’s experience, real-time requirement, and limited computing/network resources, etc. By focusing on resolving these practical challenges, I believe my research would bring deep learning technology into daily life and industry, transforming the new outcomes of deep learning into real profits in other areas and for everyone.
What is a mesmerizing moment during your time so far in the ECE Department at NJIT?
Up to now, I have been a student in NJIT for one year. Before that, I was a student in UNC, Charlotte. Though being a short-term, I enjoyed studying in NJIT and I found that our department has a great academical atmosphere. Whenever we have questions and issues, the staff and professors are always helpful. While I am have so many valuable memories in NJIT, I would like to share one specific mesmerizing moment, the ECE Ph.D. contest in Fall 2021, where every Ph.D. student was asked to give a 3-minute brief introduction on their research. During the contest, I was impressed by my colleagues’ research and convinced that the Ph.D. programs of our department are of high quality. I found that students and professors are working on a wide range of studies in electrical and computer engineering, which I believe that innovative and interdisciplinary works are to be generated.
As a fifth-year PhD student, please share some of your thoughts on job search.
Job search is challenging but exciting at the same time. I am interested in both academic and industrial jobs. On one hand, I enjoy doing research, writing papers, and sharing my research achievements with others. On the other hand, I am curious about how to apply my major in industrial areas and find new challenges there. I look forward to getting a job where I can continue my work on machine learning and edge computing and highly involve myself into active and challenging areas.
Please share a story of women-in-STEM that you have found to be inspiring.
I really appreciate all the encouragement from the professors, friends, and family members. Since my undergraduate, I found that women students always account for only a small portion in STEM courses. Occasionally, I got some negative voices on women involved in STEM. Some people even believe that women should be naturally inferior in STEM. However, I have been always inspired by successful woman researchers and professors in STEM, which makes me confident in my career and believe that gender is not a factor of success in STEM.