About me

Hello! I’m Ziyao (Richard) Cui, an undergraduate at Duke University studying Computer Science (AI/ML concentration), Statistical Science (Data Science concentration), and Economics. I study how machine learning models communicate, particularly how knowledge is transferred and modified during processes like knowledge distillation. My research aims to uncover how these mechanisms affect uncertainty, privacy, and robustness, ultimately advancing the trustworthiness and interpretability of AI systems.

I’ve been fortunate to be advised by Dr. Jian Pei, Dr. Cynthia Rudin, and Dr. Edric Tam during my time at Duke. In Spring 2025, I had the privilege of studying at the University of Oxford, where I worked with Dr. Seth Flaxman and Dr. Sahoko Ishida as a part of the Machine Learning & Global Health Network on the intersection of computer vision and statistical modeling for food security.

You can find my Google Scholar page here and CV here.