Qi Lei
Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Data Science, and, by courtesy, Assistant Professor of Computer Science · New York University · New York University
Quick answer: Qi Lei is Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Data Science, and, by courtesy, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at New York University. Qi Lei shows an active PhD hiring signal as of 2026-09-11.
⭐ I am actively looking for self-motivated and proactive students to work with. You are welcome to shoot me an email with your CV and short research plans/interests. (You may refer to this link to see whether our research interests match.) For Ph.D. applicants, please apply to Courant Mathematics or Center for Data Science whichever you see fit and mention my name in your application. For students a
Research interests
My research aims to bridge the theoretical and empirical boundary of modern machine learning algorithms and in particular AI safety, with a focus on data privacy, distributionally robust algorithms, sample- and parameter-efficient learning.
Selected publications (since 2023)
[2026] Chenruo Liu, Yijun Dong, Yiqiu Shen, Qi Lei. A Task-Centric Theory for Iterative Self-Improvement with Easy-to-Hard Curricula
[2026] Yujie Shen, Zihan Wang, Jian Qian, Qi Lei. Data Reconstruction: Identifiability and Optimization with Sample Splitting
[2026] Chenruo Liu, Yijun Dong, Qi Lei. Does Weak-to-strong Generalization Happen under Spurious Correlations?
[2025] Shikai Qiu, Zixi Chen, Hoang Phan, Qi Lei, Andrew Gordon Wilson. Hyperparameter Transfer Enables Consistent Gains of Matrix-Preconditioned Optimizers Across Scales
[2025] Victor Li, Baiting Chen, Yuzhen Mao, Qi Lei, Zhun Deng. Performative Risk Control: Calibrating Models for Reliable Deployment under Performativity
[2025] Yijun Dong, Yicheng Li, Yunai Li, Jason D Lee, Qi Lei. Discrepancies are Virtue: Weak-to-Strong Ge
Frequently asked questions
Is Qi Lei hiring PhD students at New York University?
Yes. As of 2026-09-11, Qi Lei's faculty page shows a PhD hiring signal: I am actively looking for self-motivated and proactive students to work with. You are welcome to shoot me an email with your CV and short research plans/interests. (You may refer to this link to see w.
What does Qi Lei research?
My research aims to bridge the theoretical and empirical boundary of modern machine learning algorithms and in particular AI safety, with a focus on data privacy, distributionally robust algorithms, sample- and parameter-efficient learning.
Data last updated: 2026-09-11 · Source: phd-match.com faculty database.
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