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Enquiries about research collaboration, PhD supervision, visiting opportunities, and interdisciplinary audio AI projects are welcome. Please refer to the following section of this website for more information.
Institution
Department of Intelligent Science
School of Advanced Technology
Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
SD 533, Science Building
No. 111, Ren’ai Road
Suzhou, Jiangsu, China, 215123
Profiles
Recruitment
Join our research group
Last update: 19 August 2026, 08:48 (GMT+8).
The deadline for application submission (of the latest round) has been postponed for two weeks.
PhD Recruitment
Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), located in Suzhou, China, is offering two fee-waiver PhD studentships in the exciting and rapidly growing field of machine listening and audio processing. Each project explores cutting-edge research areas including large audio models, audio enhancement, and trustworthy audio processing — providing students with the opportunity to work at the forefront of AI and audio technology. Detailed description of the projects and introduction of the supervision team are shown HERE.
Successful candidates will be supervised by an exceptional international team led by Dr. Shengchen Li as primary supervisor, while Prof. Qiufeng Wang at XJTLU provides additional senior mentorship. Dr. Jacopo de Berardinis and Dr. Guangliang Cheng from University of Liverpool serve as co-supervisors, alongside Prof. Mark D. Plumbley (IEEE Fellow) from King’s College London as external supervisor. This world-class supervision panel ensures you’ll benefit from diverse expertise and numerous opportunities for international exchange throughout your PhD journey. Upon graduation, the candidate will be awarded a degree of PhD via University of Liverpool.
The fee-waiver studentship covers full tuition fees with potential living cost support while in China. This option provides excellent financial support while you pursue groundbreaking research in a vibrant academic environment.
All applicants should have (or expect to obtain) a first-class/upper-second-class degree in a numerate discipline (mathematics, science or engineering) or MSc with Distinction/Merit (or GPA equivalent 3.0) and a strong interest in pursuing research in this field. Additional experience which is relevant to the area of research is also advantageous. Non-native English speakers who did not graduate from an English-speaking country in the past two years must achieve an IELTS score of 6.5 (with a minimum of 5.5 in each component). Detailed minimum requirements could be found at XJTLU official pages of entry requirements.
Projects
Identification of Non-Genuine Audio
Fee waiver. Supervised by Shengchen Li, Guangliang Cheng, Qiufeng Wang, and Mark D. Plumbley. The project develops techniques for identifying non-genuine audio by analysing semantic inconsistencies in AI-generated, partially synthesised, or artificially combined content.
Reverse Engineering for Generative Audio Signals
Fee waiver. Supervised by Shengchen Li, Jacopo de Berardinis, Qiufeng Wang, and Mark D. Plumbley. The project develops a reverse-engineering framework to detect and analyse generative audio, including model attribution, source content, and training-data provenance.
Materials for Application
- CV (preferably with a photo)
- Academic transcripts (for students from Chinese institutes, an English translation is required)
- Research proposal
- Two reference letters
- Proof of language proficiency (where applicable)
- Other supporting materials
Deadline
The application deadline is 15th September. Interviews are scheduled by the end of September subject to further notification. For inquiries about these positions, please contact Dr. Shengchen Li.
Application Form
Applicants should complete the application form before 15th September. Please click HERE to open the form in a separate window.
RA Recruitment
RA recruitment goes through the whole year. Both XJTLU students and non-XJTLU students could apply. Please contact Dr. Shengchen Li for further information.
Usually students applying for a RA position should propose a project. From time to time, there will be some mini projects calling for RAs.
RA may be invited to continue their research as a PhD student at XJTLU. Usually grant will be provided according to performance of RA.