Dr. ZHAO Xiaopeng's Story

Dr. ZHAO Xiaopeng
Recipient of PhD Thesis Award 2025
PhD graduate
Department of Computing

My decision to pursue an RPg programme at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University was driven by a strong interest in wireless technologies that can directly impact everyday life. PolyU’s vibrant research environment in mobile computing and its strong collaborations with industry made it an ideal place to explore ambitious ideas at the intersection of artificial intelligence and wireless systems.

During my doctoral study, I was fortunate to receive close mentorship from my supervisor and to collaborate with an outstanding research group. These experiences allowed me to engage in interdisciplinary research, publish in leading venues such as ACM MobiCom, MobiSys, and IMWUT, and present my work at international conferences. My research on mobile computing received several recognitions, including the ACM MobiCom Best Paper Award Runner-Up and the IEEE SECON Best Paper Award.

Beyond technical achievements, the programme significantly strengthened my ability to translate fundamental research into practical impact. PolyU’s emphasis on real-world applications, together with its strong links to industry, helped me understand how to transform ideas into technologies that can be deployed at scale. This training ultimately led me to my current role at Huawei’s Theory Lab.

For prospective students, I would encourage curiosity, persistence, and openness to interdisciplinary thinking. Breakthrough ideas often emerge from crossing traditional boundaries, and PolyU provides an excellent environment to explore these frontiers in both academia and industry.