PhD in Computer Scence
Doctor of Philosophy
Wendi is a PhD candidate in the School of EECS and part of Dr. Shekhar Chandra's research group. He has extensive deep learning research experience, having worked with Dr. Chandra's team since his third year of undergraduate studies. Currently, he is focused on solving novel computer vision problems across both general vision and medical imaging applications.
From 2019 to 2023, Wendi completed dual bachelor's degrees in Mechatronics Engineering and Mathematics at UQ, achieving First Class Honours and a GPA of 6.85/7.0. This highly interdisciplinary program spanned a wide range of fields and sparked particular interest in computational science, applied mathematics and robotics. During that time, he also discovered a passion for research through the Winter Research Program, where he explored compressed-sensing algorithms for enhancing MRI quality. This later grew into a research assistantship supported by Siemens Healthineers, working on a project adapting deep learning algorithms to clinical use. In his Honour's year, Wendi's focus shifted to more foundational computer vision topics, particularly the design of new neural network architectures. In his PhD, Wendi hopes to continue diving deep into the theory underpinning vision systems while simultaneously applying his knowledge towards important real-world challenges.
Outside of research, Wendi has also been committed to supporting STEM education and outreach. He previously led the UQ IEEE Student Branch as both Chair and Vice-Chair, where his team acted as a liaison between undergraduate bodies and the wider IEEE community. In this role he helped connect students with industry members through a wide range of activities, from technical seminars and lab visits to networking sessions with researchers and engineers. Aside from IEEE, Wendi is a regular UQ mathematics tutor and in his earlier years also helped run one of Australia's first youth-focused tech review websites.
In his spare time, Wendi is an avid photographer and loves going hiking to capture beautiful landscapes and wildlife.