Shen Junhao, an undergraduate student from the School of Computer Science and Technology at East China Normal University (ECNU), has demonstrated strong potential in artificial intelligence (AI) research, gaining recognition at prestigious international competitions and conferences. His innovative work at the intersection of AI and education explores how technology can contribute to addressing global educational challenges.
Academic Achievements and Recognition
Shen, now a senior, has contributed as the first author to two papers accepted at CCF-A ranked international conferences and clinched the global championship in the 2023 NeurIPS Causal Structure Learning Challenge. He was also the undergraduate champion at the China Computer Federation (CCF) Academic Show and was nominated for the prestigious SenseTime Scholarship, among other honors.
Bridging AI and Education
Shen’s journey began at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference’s Education Forum during his freshman year, where he was first introduced to the concept of "intelligent education." Inspired by his family's long-standing tradition in education, he was motivated to leverage AI to tackle educational inequities. "Technology can offer personalized solutions to bridge resource gaps," Shen remarked.
His research focuses on developing interpretable cognitive diagnosis frameworks, addressing challenges such as model transparency and computational efficiency. A major breakthrough came after overcoming a six-month hurdle in integrating symbolic trees with continuous optimization—a feat achieved through systematic experimentation and interdisciplinary collaboration. "Failure is part of the process. Each setback taught me to refine my approach," he reflected.
Global Impact and Outreach
Shen’s work has been featured at leading forums, including the 2024 ACM SIGKDD International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD), where he presented his research on hypergraph modeling for student cognitive diagnosis. "Engaging with researchers from around the world expanded my perspective. Collaboration is key to driving scientific progress," he noted.
Beyond academia, Shen has dedicated over 300 hours to volunteering, designing AI courses for middle school students and rural communities. His innovative teaching methods, which use relatable analogies and hands-on activities, have made complex AI concepts accessible to young learners. "Seeing their curiosity ignited reminds me that even small efforts can plant the seeds for future possibilities," he shared.
Future Vision
Shen will soon begin his Ph.D. studies at Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s AI School, focusing on multimodal large language models. He aims to enhance AI systems’ cross-modal reasoning capabilities to benefit education and other critical fields. "I hope my work not only pushes the boundaries of theory but also leads to real-world solutions that make a difference," he stated.
Shen at the University of Hong Kong
At ECNU’s 2024 opening ceremony, Shen encouraged peers to embrace exploration, saying, "Only when you find your own rhythm can you walk steadily and go far on the lifelong journey." His story—a blend of academic rigor, perseverance, and social responsibility—exemplifies the power of youth-driven innovation in shaping the future of AI.
Author: Wicky Xu
Editor: Xu Xincheng, Philip Nash
