Mentoring Principles

We believe in these principles when mentoring students in our group:

• Student-centric, not paper-centric. Our goal is to develop top-level, independent researchers. Great papers matter, but they are a byproduct of growth—not the only target. A guiding reminder we like is David A. Patterson’s article, “Your students are your legacy”. [English] [中文]

  • I proudly inherited this principle from my own Ph.D. advisor :)

• Everyone starts as a beginner, it’s fine to take baby steps. Doing a PhD and publishing at top systems venues is hard. We’ll help break ambitious goals into achievable milestones—e.g., solid reading + small wins → poster/workshop → short paper → top-tier conference. We also understand great works (and people) take time to shine.

• Empower exploration with a safety net. Students have the freedom to pursue their own ideas and approaches. The advisor’s role is to provide guardrails and fallback paths so exploration stays productive and degree progress remains secure.

• Long-term development over short-term hustle. We care about sustainable progress and avoiding burnout. We want you to preserve your curiosity and momentum throughout your future career. We believe your best project is always the next project.

  • Photos from Hiking Days and Movie nights to be uploaded..