Xuhui(Daniel) Zhan

Xuhui(Daniel) Zhan

Master Student

Vanderbilt University

Biography

Xuhui Zhan, a second-year Master’s student in Data Science at Vanderbilt University and a professional research assistant there, embarked on his data science journey during undergraduate studies. This early foundation set the stage for his professional and academic growth.

Formerly an algorithm engineer, Xuhui specialized in automating AGV robots and developing machine learning systems for detecting cargo status. This role deepened his practical insights into data science applications.

In his current academic pursuit, Xuhui focuses on deep learning areas like Graph Neural Network, NLP and recommandation system. His passion lies in creating machines that can understand the world and perform complex, multi-modal tasks. His ultimate goal is ambitious: to enable machines to dream, emulating one of humanity’s most profound abilities.

Driven by the principle that “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” Xuhui aims to transcend the boundaries of technology, merging the real with the fantastical. He seeks to deepen his data science expertise, contributing to innovations that turn today’s science fiction into tomorrow’s reality.

Interests
  • Graph Neural Network (Current concentration)
  • Computer Vision
  • Natural Language Processing
  • Foundation Models
  • Neural-Symbolic AI
  • AI4Science
  • Quantum Computing
Education
  • MSc in Data Science, 2023-Present

    Vanderbilt University

  • BSc in Data Science, 2018-2022

    BNU-HKBU United International College

Experience

 
 
 
 
 
Vanderbilt University
Graduate Teaching Assistant
August 2024 – Present Nashville, Tennessee

Graduate Level: DS5620 Probability and Statistical Inference, DS5690 Gen AI in Theory and Practice

Undergrad Level: DS3100 Fundamentals of Data Science

Responsibilities include:

  • Organize labs and grading
  • Host office hours and answer questions
 
 
 
 
 
Vanderbilt University
Professional Research Assistant
October 2023 – Present Nashville, Tennessee

Work part-time during the semester and full-time during the summer holiday.

Responsibilities include:

  • Develop programs leveraging LLMs for negotiation applications(see Vanderbilt NegotiationAILab)
  • Develop a vision transformer model for ancient mortars classification
 
 
 
 
 
Vanderbilt University
Professional Teaching Assistant
August 2023 – October 2023 Nashville, Tennessee
Tutor statistics and grade homework in Econometrics I for Master of Finance Students
 
 
 
 
 
Suzhou AGV Robot Co. Ltd.
Algorithm Engineer
June 2022 – April 2023 Suzhou, Jiangsu, China

Work as an algorithm engineer and take in charge of all machine learning applications and efficient data analysis.

Responsibilities include:

  • Optimize the end localizer program and deploy on new products (ROS)
  • Develop the vision algorithm for detecting whether two shelves are aligned (opencv, pytorch)
  • Develop the end-to-end storage status detection system, implement the whole pipeline including data collection, data labeling, model training, model deployment, database construction, communication policies and api for updating status to central server (WCS) and display results on the front-end website with scaling abilities to aggregate and update results in real-time on constraint computation resources and deployment process (roboflow, django, redis, celery, pytorch, ONNX)