{"686871":{"#nid":"686871","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Meet CSE Profile: Ph.D. Graduate Ziqi Zhang","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPh.D. student \u003Cstrong\u003EZiqi Zhang\u003C\/strong\u003E has built a career blending machine learning with single-cell biology. His work helps scientists study cellular mechanisms that advance disease research and drug development.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThough\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/news\/award-winning-computer-models-propel-research-cellular-differentiation\u0022\u003Edecorated with awards\u003C\/a\u003E and appearances in leading journals, Zhang will achieve his greatest accomplishment tonight at McCamish Pavilion. He will join the Class of 2025 in walking across the stage, receiving diplomas, and graduating from Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore he \u201cgets out\u201d of Georgia Tech, we interviewed Zhang to learn more about his Ph.D. journey and where his degree will take him next.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGraduate:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/peterzzq.github.io\/\u0022\u003EZiqi Zhang\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch Interests:\u003C\/strong\u003E Machine learning, foundational models, cellular mechanisms, single-cell gene sequencing, gene regulatory networks\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEducation:\u003C\/strong\u003E Ph.D. in Computational Science and Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFaculty Advisor\u003C\/strong\u003E: School of CSE J.Z. Liang Early-Career Associate Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/xiuweizhang.wordpress.com\/\u0022\u003EXiuwei Zhang\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat persuaded you to study at Georgia Tech?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI chose Georgia Tech because it is one of the top engineering institutions in the United States, known for its strength in machine learning and data science. The university offers exceptional research resources and the opportunity to work with leading scholars in my field. Georgia Tech also has very good research infrastructure. The \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cse.gatech.edu\/coda\u0022\u003ECoda Building\u003C\/a\u003E is one of the most well-designed and productive research environments I have experienced. Having access to such a space has been a genuine privilege.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow has working on your CSE degree helped you so far in your career?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWorking toward my CSE degree has been instrumental in my career development. As an interdisciplinary program, CSE has equipped me with strong computational skills while also deepening my understanding of key application domains. This breadth of training has opened more opportunities during my job and internship searches. In addition, CSE community events, such as\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hotcse.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EHotCSE\u003C\/a\u003E, the weekly coffee hour, and faculty recruiting activities, have helped me strengthen my scientific communication skills, which are essential for my long-term career growth.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat research project from Georgia Tech are you most proud of?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMy favorite research project was\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-023-36066-2\u0022\u003EscMoMaT\u003C\/a\u003E, a matrix tri-factorization algorithm for single-cell data integration. I invested a significant amount of time and effort into this work, iterating on the model many times. I\u2019m very proud that it ultimately evolved into a clean, robust, and elegant algorithm.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat advice would you give someone interested in graduate school?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is important to find an advisor who is supportive and genuinely invested in your career development. A Ph.D. is not an easy journey, and you will inevitably encounter challenges along the way. Having an advisor who can provide thoughtful guidance and dedicated mentorship is one of the most crucial factors in helping you navigate those difficulties.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your most favorite memory from Georgia Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECSE\u2019s new student campus visit day every year was one of my favorite times of the year. It was always fun to meet new people, have good food, and enjoy the beautiful view from the Coda rooftop.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are your plans after graduation?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI plan to keep working in academia after graduation. I\u2019m on the job hunt, currently applying for positions and preparing for interviews.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPh.D. student \u003Cstrong\u003EZiqi Zhang\u003C\/strong\u003E has built a career blending machine learning with single-cell biology. His work helps scientists study cellular mechanisms that advance disease research and drug development.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThough\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/news\/award-winning-computer-models-propel-research-cellular-differentiation\u0022\u003Edecorated with awards\u003C\/a\u003E and appearances in leading journals, Zhang will achieve his greatest accomplishment tonight at McCamish Pavilion. He will join the Class of 2025 in walking across the stage, receiving diplomas, and graduating from Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore he \u201cgets out\u201d of Georgia Tech, we interviewed Zhang to learn more about his Ph.D. journey and where his degree will take him next.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Ph.D. graduate Ziqi Zhang will join the Class of 2025 in walking across the stage, receiving diplomas, and graduating from Georgia Tech."}],"uid":"36319","created_gmt":"2025-12-11 15:58:37","changed_gmt":"2026-01-09 13:36:26","author":"Bryant Wine","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-12-11T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-12-11T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678827":{"id":"678827","type":"image","title":"Meet-CSE_Ziqi-Zhang.jpg","body":null,"created":"1765468731","gmt_created":"2025-12-11 15:58:51","changed":"1765468731","gmt_changed":"2025-12-11 15:58:51","alt":"Meet CSE Ziqi Zhang","file":{"fid":"262915","name":"Meet-CSE_Ziqi-Zhang.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/11\/Meet-CSE_Ziqi-Zhang.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/11\/Meet-CSE_Ziqi-Zhang.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":119733,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/12\/11\/Meet-CSE_Ziqi-Zhang.jpg?itok=LsnALgbn"}}},"media_ids":["678827"],"groups":[{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"50877","name":"School of Computational Science and Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"},{"id":"194606","name":"Artificial Intelligence"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"193157","name":"Student Honors and Achievements"}],"keywords":[{"id":"654","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"166983","name":"School of Computational Science and Engineering"},{"id":"194880","name":"2025 fall commencement"},{"id":"9167","name":"machine learning"},{"id":"2556","name":"artificial intelligence"},{"id":"187812","name":"artificial intelligence (AI)"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193655","name":"Artificial Intelligence at Georgia Tech"},{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBryant Wine, Communications Officer\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:bryant.wine@cc.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ebryant.wine@cc.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}