Developing a Good Taste in Research: Prof Xin Yao Shares Insights on Refining Research Practices for Young Scholars

The third session of the “A Personal Perspective on Doing Good Research” seminar series, organised by the School of Graduate Studies of Lingnan University, was held on 6 March 2025. Prof Xin Yao, Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and Tong Tin Sun Chair Professor of Machine Learning at Lingnan University, delivered a talk entitled “Good Taste in Research”, attended by about 100 staff and students.

As a distinguished scholar with extensive teaching experience, Prof Yao was elected as an IEEE Fellow in 2003. He served as Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation from 2003 to 2008, as well as President of the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society from 2014 to 2015. His accolades include the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2012), the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society Evolutionary Computation Pioneer Award (2013), and the prestigious IEEE Frank Rosenblatt Award (2020). Recognised among the World's Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University since 2021, he has been named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher from 2022 to 2024, with over 80,000 citations and an H-index of 130 according to Google Scholar.

During his talk, Prof Yao shared valuable insights on developing a refined taste in research, drawing on personal experiences with essential yet often overlooked tasks such as literature reviews, problem formulation, and paper writing. He emphasised the importance of these foundational activities in shaping a successful research career.

Prof Yao posed inspiring questions and offered practical tips for young scholars on various aspects of research, including preparation, formulating research questions, effective writing strategies, and how to constructively respond to reviewers’ comments.

He highlighted the significance of integrating research into daily life, stating, “Only when research becomes part of our life can we be off to a great start in our research career. Enjoy doing research and writing papers! There is no point in doing what you are not enjoying.”

Following the presentation, the audience engaged in a lively discussion with Prof Yao, addressing key issues such as the application of generative AI in research, coping with paper submission rejections, and maintaining a work-life balance in the research field. The dynamic atmosphere fostered by Prof Yao’s insights encouraged in-depth exchanges and stimulated creative thinking among attendees, enriching the dialogue between academics.

"Prof Yao's presentation was an eye-opener for me as a research student. His comments on considering research as a lifestyle and enjoying the process of doing research were very relevant. PhD studies can be quite a lonely journey, and as Prof Yao emphasised, one of the motivations that will keep you going is knowing what you are doing and loving what you are working on. I will always be guided by these insights from Prof Yao.", Mr Sanford Mensah, a PhD student in the Department of History at Lingnan University, said.

The monthly “A Personal Perspective on Doing Good Research” seminar series invites senior university management and prominent scholars to discuss their research experiences and perspectives, with the aim of providing a platform for in-depth exchanges between doctoral students, young scholars and top academics on how to conduct excellent research.

The next seminar will be held on 17 April, featuring Prof Sam Kwong, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research), J.K. Lee Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, and Acting Dean of the School of Data Science at Lingnan University. Prof Kwong will present on “Navigating from Concept to Implementation: Advancing Through Technological Research and Innovation”, sharing insights from his research across various domains and discussing strategies for propelling technology forward through two illustrative case studies.