Xianghao Kong
Hello/你好👋
I am a final-year CS Ph.D. student working with the incredible ✨ Prof. Greg Ver Steeg ✨ at the University of California, Riverside. Fortunately, I also worked at SonyAI(Host: Vikash Sehwag) and Adobe Firefly (Host: Hareesh Ravi) as a Research Intern.
My research centers on Generative Models (Diffusion Models & Energy-Based Models), with a focus on their interpretability, alignment, and compositionality. Specifically, I explore diffusion models through a novel information-theoretic lens, termed Information-Theoretic Diffusion (ITD) ℹ️. Our work demonstrates how Pointwise Mutual Information (PMI) enhances compositional reasoning and modality alignment (e.g., text and image). We are actively expanding the ITD universe 🌌 and welcome collaboration opportunities!
Prior to UCR, I focused on EEG data analysis in Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) 🧠 technology, bridging neuroscience and computer science. Outside of research, I enjoy exploring food, sketching, and visiting museums.
On the Job Market 💼 (Research Scientist or Applied Research Engineer) for
- Foundations of Generative Models
- Multimodal Alignment & Post-Training
- Image & Video Generation
news
| Apr 26, 2025 | I delivered a 20-minute presentation at SOCAMS ☕, had the pleasure of attending many insightful talks, and came away convinced that the REAL AGI still has a way to go. |
|---|---|
| Mar 01, 2025 | I am honored to receive the Dissertation Completion Fellowship Award from UCR! 🎉 |
| Feb 26, 2025 | The paper Stretching Each Dollar: Diffusion Training from Scratch on a Micro-Budget has been accepted to CVPR 2025! Looking forward to sharing our work with the community! 🚀 |
| Dec 05, 2024 | Thrilled to share a new milestone in my academic journey: I successfully passed my dissertation proposal exam! |
| Oct 02, 2024 | I have been invited to the Advancing AI 2024 event by AMD on October 10th ✈️. If you’ll be in San Francisco, I’d love to grab a coffee ☕️ or explore some great food together! |