Computer Science and Engineering PhD Graduate Recognized for Solving Real-World Data Management and Cybersecurity Challenges
Dr. MA Pingchuan, a 2024 PhD graduate from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), has been honored as the winner of the School of Engineering (SENG) PhD Research Excellence Award 2024-25 at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). This award recognizes his exceptional research achievements and contributions to the field during his PhD studies.
Dr. Ma’s work focuses on data management and software engineering, culminating in his thesis “Algorithms, Applications, and Verification of Causal Structure Learning”. His research pushes the boundaries of data science and artificial intelligence, leading to innovative solutions that have been adopted and integrated into major products, including Microsoft Excel, Power BI, and Ant Group’s AntV. This underscores the real-world impact of his research.
During the award ceremony, Dr. Ma reflected on his research journey at HKUST – a path marked by both challenges and triumphs. He openly shared the hurdles he faced, including several rejections of his publications, but emphasized how his PhD advisor’s unwavering support reminded him that setbacks are part of the process. Through perseverance, he eventually saw all his papers accepted at top-tier conferences such as ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data and International Conferences on Software Engineering / Very Large Data Bases (VLDB), a testament to his resilience.
Throughout his research journey, he has received multiple research-related grants from NVIDIA, OpenAI, the Future of Life Institute, SIGMOD, and has been awarded the Star of Tomorrow recognition from Microsoft Research Asia twice. He has also translated his research into a start-up company focusing on privacy-preserving computation, offering practical and developer-friendly cryptographic solutions.
In his remarks at the ceremony, Dr. Ma once again expressed his gratitude to his PhD advisor for his support, as well as to his research collaborators, group mates, and friends at HKUST, who made the journey memorable. He also acknowledged the diverse opportunities provided by the university, SENG, and his department, which played a pivotal role in his personal and professional growth.
The SENG PhD Research Excellence Award scheme, established in 2011, recognizes exceptional PhD students and recent graduates who have made influential contributions to their fields during their studies at HKUST. Since 2023-24, the award has expanded to honor six individuals annually – including a winner, first runner-up, second runner-up, and three finalists, further broadening the School’s recognition of research excellence. This year, the awarded PhD students have been making impact across diverse fields such as cybersecurity, optoelectronics, data visualization, language modeling, medical imaging, and thermal transport materials.
Behind every outstanding researcher who embodies perseverance and passion, there is often a supportive mentor guiding them along the way. During the ceremony, SENG also expressed its deep gratitude to all award recipients’ PhD advisors. Each advisor received a certificate of appreciation in recognition of their unwavering mentorship and their crucial role in shaping these brilliant students’ academic and research journeys at HKUST.
Recipients of SENG PhD Research Excellence Award 2024-25
Awardee | PhD advisor | Department | |
Winner | Dr. MA Pingchuan | Prof. WANG Shuai | Computer Science and Engineering |
First Runner-Up | Dr. LONG Zhenghao | Prof. FAN Zhiyong | Electronic and Computer Engineering |
Second Runner-Up | Dr. LI Haotian | Prof. QU Huamin | Computer Science and Engineering |
Finalist | Dr. FANG Tianqing | Prof. SONG Yangqiu | Computer Science and Engineering |
Finalist | Dr. HE Yingzhu | Prof. QU Jianan | Electronic and Computer Engineering |
Finalist | Dr. XU Yixin | Prof. ZHOU Yanguang | Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering |
Finalists are listed in alphabetical order of last names.






