Yang Ni, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Director of Next-gen Efficient and Intelligent Systems (NEXIS) Lab

Introduction

Yang Ni is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Purdue University Northwest, where he leads the Next-gen Efficient and Intelligent Systems (NEXIS) Lab. His research focuses on designing advanced human-like artificial intelligence, and he has made pioneering contributions to neuro-symbolic hyperdimensional computing for ultra-efficient AI algorithms.

Research Overview

NEXIS Lab aims at building efficient, human-like AI systems that integrate diverse modalities and world knowledge for advanced reasoning and trustworthy decision-making in novel computer vision, smart healthcare, industrial AI and autonomous systems. At NEXIS Lab, we believe that next-generation AI must go beyond accuracy to also deliver interpretability, efficiency, reliability and readiness for real-world deployment.

My research interest during vacations is conducting a long-term, multi-site field study on “the algorithms of nature” — otherwise known as hiking in national parks. My dataset includes trails and peaks; my methodology involves high-elevation sampling and low-elevation wandering, and rigorous peer review from squirrel, deer and bison.

Select Publications

For a complete and up-to-date list of publications, please visit Yang Ni’s Google Scholar page.

View Yang Ni’s Personal Website

Teaching Focus

Yang Ni has always been passionate about teaching and guiding younger generations in their exploration of science and research, more specifically, in the intriguing field of AI and machine learning. He believes that interest is the best teacher, and as an international student with both EE and CS backgrounds, he aims to personalize teaching and mentorship to students with different backgrounds.

Ni had the pleasure of mentoring 20+ students (including five Ph.D. students), 11 of whom have published or submitted papers in top-tier conferences and journals under his mentorship. Three students decided to move on to the Ph.D. program. In addition, his past mentees received NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF-GRFP) and National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) from DoD.