Jiajun Huang

Jiajun Huang

CS Assistant Professor at USF

About the Advisor

Jiajun Huang will join the College of AI, Cybersecurity, and Computing at the University of South Florida (USF) as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2025 and is recruiting 3-4 Ph.D. students for Fall 2025, Spring 2026, or Fall 2026. Jiajun earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) and the University of Glasgow (First-Class Honors) in 2021 and will receive his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Riverside (2022-2025). His research interests span high-performance computing and communication, high-performance deep learning, parallel & distributed computing, and big data management & analytics. He has published over ten papers in top-tier computer systems conferences such as SC, ICS, IPDPS, and SIGMOD, and won the First Place Award in the ACM Student Research Competition at SC’23. He actively collaborates with U.S. national laboratories, and admitted students will have access to some of the world’s most advanced supercomputers, including Frontier (world’s 2nd fastest), Aurora (world’s 3rd fastest), and NVIDIA supercomputers. Exceptional students will also have the opportunity to intern at national labs during the summer, working alongside leading scientists on cutting-edge research.

About USF & Tampa

The University of South Florida (USF) is one of the top three flagship public research universities in Florida, located in Tampa, FL. It holds R1 Carnegie Classification for highest research activity and was invited to join the Association of American Universities (AAU) in 2023, making it one of only 71 top research universities in the U.S. and Canada.

  • Rankings & Research Excellence
    • Ranked #45 among U.S. public universities (fastest-growing in the last decade)
    • Top 50 in research expenditures (NSF ranking), second only to the University of Florida in Florida
    • Rapid expansion in computing: In Fall 2025, the Department of Computer Science will be upgraded to the College of AI, Cybersecurity, and Computing, with major investments in HPC and AI research
  • Lifestyle & Job Opportunities
    • One of the happiest cities in the U.S., featuring top-rated white sand beaches & a warm climate
    • Prime location: Tampa Bay is Florid’s second-largest metropolitan area, just one hour from Disney World & Universal Studios in Orlando
    • Booming tech industry: Rapid growth in cloud computing, AI, and healthcare IT, providing ample internship and job opportunities

What You Will Gain

  • Access to top-tier computing resources, including thousands of A100 GPUs and world-leading supercomputers like Frontier (2nd in the world) and Aurora (3rd in the world)
  • Expert research mentorship: Jiajun published three first-author papers in top HPC conferences within a year, while all top HPC conferences (SC, ICS, HPDC, IPDPS) combined accept only ~200 papers annually
  • Full financial support: All admitted Ph.D. students receive a full scholarship covering tuition, stipend, and health insurance
  • Great research equipment: Each student will be provided with a latest-generation MacBook or a high-performance PC for research
  • Exclusive internship & collaboration opportunities: Work with U.S. national labs and leading tech companies, gaining top-tier academic and industry experience

Admission Requirements

  • Minimum Requirements
    • Background in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or related fields (Outstanding applicants from other disciplines will be considered on a case-by-case basis)
    • No GRE requirement
    • No prior research experience required, but strong enthusiasm for computing research & logical problem-solving skills are expected
    • Persistence and a strong interest in pursuing a Ph.D.
  • Preferred Qualifications
    • Background in HPC, deep learning, distributed computing, or big data
    • Prior research experience (e.g., publications, competitions, projects) or strong programming skills (CUDA, MPI, PyTorch, etc.)

Application Process

Flexible Start Dates: Fall 2025 / Spring 2026 / Fall 2026

How to Apply:

  1. Email Subject: PhD Application [Spring/Fall] [2025/2026] [Your Name]
  2. Email Content:
    • Self-introduction (including research experience & interests)
    • Resume (CV)
    • Academic transcripts
    • Additional materials (optional, e.g., TOEFL/GRE scores, if available)
  3. Combine all documents into a single PDF
  4. Send your application to jhuan380@ucr.edu

Early applications are highly encouraged! Apply as soon as possible to secure your spot!

Join us in conducting world-class research in HPC & AI!