Hiring PhD

If you’re interested in pursuing a PhD in computational biology with CompBioClub, please read the information below carefully and follow the instructions.

General Requirement

  • GPA 3.6+/4.0, average grade 85+ (Compulsory)
  • IELTS 6.5+ (Compulsory)
  • Has at least one first or co-first JCR top 10% journals (Preferred)
  • Having background from programming/algorithm side (Computer Science, Data Science, Artifical Intelligence, Software Engineering, etc.) or domain side (Biology, Bioinformatics, etc.)
  • Passion for Learning: We are looking for individuals with a strong desire to expand their knowledge in both computer science and biomedical science.
  • Desire for Lifelong Research: Our ideal candidates aspire to make a significant impact in research and view a PhD as the beginning of a lifelong research career.

Available PhD Programme

  • Self-financed and industry-sponsored students are welcome!
  • UGC Scholarship PhD Programme in Biomedical Sciences at CityU HK.
    • Monthly stipend of around 19,000 HKD (4 years).
  • Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS). Highly competitive applicants may apply for it.

How to Apply

Step 1: Email to lingxi.chen@cityu.edu.hk
  • Submit a Cover Letter that clearly outlines your education experience, research experience, and future research interests. Attach your CV and transcripts (Bachelor’s and, if applicable, Master’s).
  • For applicants with a primary background in computer science: describe your active coding contributions to open‑source projects in your Cover Letter.
  • For applicants with a biomedical background: explain how your domain expertise can contribute to the development of our algorithms in your Cover Letter.
  • Explicitly include your GPA, IELTS score, and (co)-1st publications in the email.
  • Incomplete inquiries (missing any of the above materials) will not be considered.
  • Please use Gmail or institutional (education) email, not QQ, 126, 163, etc., to avoid spam/trash filtering and sign‑in barriers when downloading attachments.
  • If you do not receive a response within one week, please feel free to pursue other opportunities.
Step 2: Interview

We will screen candidates and issue interview invitations. The interview has three phases; at each stage, we will identify the top candidates with strong research potential and those whose research style and critical thinking best fit our lab.

Stage I: Journal Club

Please feel free to prepare in whatever formats works best for you. Tips for Preparation:

  • Select a computational biology paper from Nature Biotechnology or Nature Methods that provides the public codes, and send email to inform us your choice and schedule the online interview time.
  • Read it closely and be ready to discuss during the interview, we will asked questions related to:
    • The background problem and motivation,
    • The research gap the paper addresses,
    • The algorithm’s design,
    • How the code is implemented,
    • The benchmarking strategy,
    • How the authors present real‑world case studies.
  • It’s fine to consult AI tools or colleagues if you encounter unfamiliar concepts, just as you would in day‑to‑day research.
  • In the interview, we will focus on your critical thinking, debugging/problem‑solving skills, code comprehension, and ability to communicate and discuss research effectively.
  • Please treat it like a typical research group meeting, similar to what you’d experience in our lab during PhD training.

Stage II: Informal conversation to align PhD mentorship expectations

An informal chat to ensure our research and mentorship expectations align, guided by the PhD mentorship expectations documents.

Stage III: Formal interview with BMS comitte

A 15–20 minute slide presentation introducing yourself and your research projects, followed by committee questions related to your work.