Fully-Funded Ph.D. Positions in Computer Science at USF: HPC & AI
About the Advisor
Jiajun Huang joined the College of AI, Cybersecurity, and Computing at the University of South Florida (USF) as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2025, where he leads the High Performance & Intelligence Lab (π Lab), and is recruiting 2-4 Ph.D. students for Spring 2027 and Fall 2027. 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 received 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, agentic AI for kernel optimization and porting, parallel & distributed computing, and big data management & analytics. He has published more than twenty papers in top-tier computer systems conferences and journals such as SC, ICS, IPDPS, HPDC, SIGMOD, and PPoPP. His research has received the Best Paper Award at ICS’26, a Best Paper Nomination at SC’26 (a single-author paper, one of the very few in SC’s nearly 40-year history), and Best Paper Finalist recognition at HPDC’25, and he 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, Aurora, and NVIDIA supercomputers, and the lab provides every student with stable, dedicated compute of at least two NVIDIA B200 GPUs (with more being added). Exceptional students will also have the opportunity to intern at national labs during the summer, working alongside leading scientists on cutting-edge research. The group is growing fast: a Ph.D. student in the lab published a first-author paper at SC, the flagship supercomputing conference, in his first year on his first submission.
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 #20 and #45 among U.S. public universities by Niche and U.S. News, respectively, making it one of the fastest-rising institutions over the past decade
- Top 50 in research expenditures (NSF ranking), second only to the University of Florida in Florida
- Ranked 15th in the U.S. and 25th in the world in the High-Performance Computing (HPC) area of CSRankings (2021-2026)
- Rapid expansion in computing: In Fall 2025, the Department of Computer Science was 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 Florida’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: every student in the lab has stable, dedicated compute of at least two NVIDIA B200 GPUs (with more being added), in addition to thousands of A100 GPUs and world-leading supercomputers like Frontier and Aurora
- Expert research mentorship: Jiajun’s research has received multiple best paper honors at top HPC conferences (ICS’26 Best Paper Award, SC’26 Best Paper Nomination, HPDC’25 Best Paper Finalist) and is widely discussed and adopted in academia and industry
- 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: Spring 2027 / Fall 2027
How to Apply:
- Email Subject: PhD Application [Spring 2027 / Fall 2027] [Your Name] (please indicate your intended start semester)
- Email Content:
- Self-introduction (including research experience & interests)
- Resume (CV)
- Academic transcripts
- Additional materials (optional, e.g., TOEFL/GRE scores, if available)
- Combine all documents into a single PDF
- Send your application to jiajunhuang@usf.edu
Early applications are highly encouraged! Apply as soon as possible to secure your spot!