Short Bio

Hi! Welcome to my website!

I am Qinyang Yu, a first-year PhD student at the School of Data Science, University of Virginia. I am co-advised by YY Ahn and Alex Gates, and I am a member of Y Lab.

My research interests include computational social science, network science, and machine learning/AI. Specifically, I study the dynamics of beliefs, culture, and information within complex social systems.

News

• In August 2026, I joined Y Lab and began my Ph.D. in Data Science at the School of Data Science, University of Virginia.
• My extended abstract has been accepted for presentation at NetSciX 2026 - International School and Conference on Network Science, taking place in Auckland, New Zealand, 17-20 February 2026.
• I am honored to have received the Dean’s Research Award for Master’s Students from the Duke University Graduate School for the 2025-26 academic year.
• I am excited to present and share my work at Complex Networks 2025 - The 14th International Conference on Complex Networks and their Applications, taking place in Binghamton, New York, 9-11 December 2025.

Education

• University of Virginia
  • Ph.D. in Data Science, 2026–Present
• Duke University
  • M.S. in Economics and Computation (MSEC), 2024–2026
• The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHKsz)
  • B.B.A. in Economics (Economic Science Stream) with Honors, First Class, 2020–2024
  • Minor in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, 2020–2024

Training

• New York University Shanghai
  • Summer Institute in Computational Social Science (SICSS), Jun. 2025
  • Summer School in Applied Social Science Research Methods (Advanced Courses), Jul. 2025
• University of Cambridge
  • Online Summer Research Programme at Pembroke College (First with Distinction), Jun.–Jul. 2023

Honors and Awards

• Dean’s Research Award for Master’s Students (2025-2026, Duke University)
• International Conference Travel Grant (2025-2026, Department of Economics, Duke University)
• Economics Master’s Scholarship Award (2024-2026, Duke University)
• Undergraduate Research Award (19th, 20th, 21st Round, CUHKsz)
• Academic Performance Scholarship (2020–2021, 2021–2022, 2022–2023, CUHKsz)
• Dean’s Honor List (2020–2021, 2021–2022, 2022–2023, CUHKsz)
• Master’s List Award of Muse College – Whole-person Development Star (2020–2021, CUHKsz)
• Merit-Based Entrance Scholarship (2020–2024, CUHKsz)
• Outstanding Student Helper (2020–2021, CUHKsz)