Xue Gong (AFHEA)

Biography

Background

I am a PhD candidate studying applied mathematics based in the School of Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh, supported by the MAC-MIGS CDT programme. My research interests include learning on graphs/hypergraphs such as embedding, clustering and structure recovery, generative models that describe the interaction mechanism, and dynamics process on graphs/hypergraphs. I am also interested in the application of graph/hypergraph-based approaches to real-world problems such as social networks analysis, image classification, and natural language processing.  My current research involves analysing graphs/hypergraph embedding algorithms and deriving corresponding random graph models.

Before my PhD, I earned an MSc in Statistics from the National University of Singapore, and a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore during which I developed my interest in understanding interactions and patterns in complex systems. 

Undergraduate teaching

MATH08058 Calculus and its Applications 21/22 Sem 2

Postgraduate teaching

MSc course MATH11197 Research Skills for Computational Applied Mathematics 20/21 Sem 1

I was awarded the Edinburgh Teaching Award on 6 Sep 2022 (Category 1 = Associate Fellowship of the HEA)

Research summary

Complex network, community structures, network theory, network models, directed graphs, hypergraphs  

Current research interests

I am interested in graph embedding/graph drawing algorithms that find the position of nodes to reveal certain structures, and understanding what generative model they are assuming. These models take the node position as input, and generate edges randomly.  These model have several potential benefits: they help us quantify structures and answering the question such as "why we should draw the graph this way rather than another?" They also provide a model to generate synthetic data the produce desired structures. They also help interpret the graph embedding, for example if we know the position of two nodes, we could learn the probability distribution of the edge between them using the model.

Affiliated research centres

Conference details

  • I attended CCS2022 17-21 Oct in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, to present a poster on "Spectral Embedding and Associated Generative Models for Hypergraphs".
  • I gave an oral talk at the 4th IMA Conference on The Mathematical Challenges of Big Data, 19-20 Sep 2022, Oxford, the UK on "Hypergraph Generative Models and Associated Spectral Embedding Algorithms".
  • On Sep 13-15 2022, I will attended and presented my work during SIAM Workshop on Network Science (NS22).
  • NetSci2022, 21-29 July 2022, oral presentation "Hypergraph Generative Models and Associated Laplacians".
  • AAAI-22 Workshop W19: Graphs and More Complex Structures for Learning and Reasoning (GCLR), 28th Feb 2022, "Visualizing and Quantifying Linear and Periodic Structures in Directed Networks". 
  • COMPLEX NETWORKS 2021, 30th November, 2021,"Directed Random Graph Models and their AssociatedLaplacians".
  • CCS 2021, 26th October 2021, "Random Graph Interpretation of Directed GraphLaplacians", based on a joint work with Desmond Higham and Kostas Zygalakis. Reference: Xue Gong, Desmond J. Higham, and Konstantinos Zygalakis. Directed net-work laplacians and random graph models.Royal Society Open Science,8(10):211144, 2021.

  • Gong X, Higham DJ, Zygalakis K. Generative hypergraph models and spectral embedding. Scientific Reports. 2023 Jan 11;13(1):540. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-27565-9
  • Gong X, Higham DJ, Zygalakis K. Directed network Laplacians and random graph models. Royal Society Open Science. 2021 Oct 13;8(10):211144. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.211144
  • Lu X, Utama MI, Lin J, Gong X, Zhang J, Zhao Y, Pantelides ST, Wang J, Dong Z, Liu Z, Zhou W. Large-area synthesis of monolayer and few-layer MoSe2 films on SiO2 substrates. Nano Letters. 2014 May 14;14(5):2419-25.   https://doi.org/10.1021/nl5000906

 

  • Our recent work on the hypergraph model has been published in Scientific Report: Gong, X., Higham, D.J. & Zygalakis, K. Generative hypergraph models and spectral embedding. Sci Rep 13, 540 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-27565-9 

  • I presented a poster "Spectral Embedding and Associated Generative Models for Hypergraphs" at the Conference on Complex Systems 2022 (CCS2022) which took place in Palma de Mallorca, Spain on 17-23 October 2022.

  • I received the Outstanding Talk Awards at SIAM Workshop on Network Science (NS22) on September 13-15, 2022.

  • 28 Jul 2022 - Our preprint is now on arXiv: Xue Gong, Desmond J. Higham, Konstantinos Zygalakis: “Generative Hypergraph Models and Spectral Embedding”, 2022; arXiv:2207.13895.
  • I received the Edinburgh Teaching Award on 6 Sep 2022 under Category 1, which is equivalent to the Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA). It provides national recognition of commitment to professionalism in teaching and learning in higher education.
  • I received 2022/2023 Alan Turing Institute Student Enrichment Scheme Award 
  • I will attend CCS2022 17-21 Oct in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, to present a poster on "Spectral Embedding and Associated Generative Models for Hypergraphs".
  • I will give an oral talk at the 4th IMA Conference on The Mathematical Challenges of Big Data, 19-20 Sep 2022, Oxford, the UK on "Hypergraph Generative Models and Associated Spectral Embedding Algorithms".
  • On Sep 13-15 2022, I will attend and present my work during SIAM Workshop on Network Science (NS22).

  • I will give an oral presentation on 25 July 2022 during NetSci2022 titled "Hypergraph Generative Models and Associated Laplacians".

  • I will be attending the Summer School on Mathematics of Complex Systems in Berlin, Germany, 9-17th June 2022, organized by Berlin Mathematics Research Center Math+.

  • I received Laura Wisewell Travel Scholarship from University of Edinburgh School of Mathematics

  • I am co-organizing a hybrid  MAC-MIGS Research Afternoon on "Learning Complex Structures on Graphs", on Friday 1st July 2022. In-person venue is the Bayes Centre, Edinburgh.

  • I received Laura Wisewell Travel Scholarships in April 2022 from the School of Mathematics, the University of Edinburgh, which supports conferences and other research-related travels for postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
  • On 28th Feb 2022, I will present my work Visualizing and Quantifying Linear and Periodic Structures in Directed Networks during AAAI-22 Workshop W19: Graphs and More Complex Structures for Learning and Reasoning (GCLR).
  • I will give a  research talk during the Oxford Network Seminar on 7th December, 2021  titled "Directed Network Laplacians and Random Graph Models".
  • Happy to announce that our paper "Directed network Laplacians and random graph models" is now published in Royal Society Open Science October 2021 issues. It is available through https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.211144. 
  • I will give a talk at COMPLEX NETWORKS 2021 that will take place between 30th Nobember - 2nd December, 2021. The title of the talk is "Directed Random Graph Models and their Associated Laplacians".
  • I will give an oral presentation during CCS 2021 on 26th October 2021 titled "Random Graph Interpretation of Directed Graph Laplacians", based on a joint work with Desmond Higham and Kostas Zygalakis. Reference:  Xue Gong, Desmond J. Higham, and Konstantinos Zygalakis. Directed network laplacians and random graph models.Royal Society Open Science,8(10):211144, 2021.
  • Our paper "Directed network Laplacians and random graph models" has been accepted by Royal Society Open Science. It is available on arXiv:2107.03026. 
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