Joining

Before asking Prof. Hu (hus@algomau.ca) to join the lab, please first read this page carefully. Then, if you are interested or if you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact him.

Please note: no paid opportunities are currently available. However, students can still work with him for thesis or computing project course credits. Students who are also seeking to have their manuscripts published may also seek his supervision.

For Undergraduate Students at Algoma University

Normally, a student in the BCOSC and BSc programs Algoma University can join the lab by applying for the following courses:

A Bachelor's Thesis: An honours student can complete a two-semester reading course with Prof. Hu on a topic related to R2C2's interests during the fall and winter semesters. Alternatively, the student can complete the thesis in the summer semester. However, the student is expected to work harder.
A Computing Project: A graduate or an undergraduate student can ask to complete a 3-credit course with Prof. Hu.

Prof. Hu can also act as an examiner (a.k.a. reader) for a Bachelor's Thesis as well.

The courses are not paid opportunities. However, they can be used to fulfill certain program requirements. Students with the following interests are encouraged to apply:

Extended Reality
Game Development
3D User Interface and Spatial Computing
Streaming and Virtual Streaming
Artificial Intelligence for Spatial Analysis
Explainable AI and Visualization
Developing Instruments for Psychology and Social Science

In the future, paid opportunities may become available. However, students cannot earn course credits from these opportunities as they are considered employment.

For Current and Prospective MCS Students

At Algoma University, an MCS student is allowed to take a single computing project course. To join the R2/C2 lab, the student simply applies for COSC5286 and asks for Prof. Hu to be the project supervisor. Although this is not a paid opportunity, the student can earn 3 credits towards their graduation.

Please note that MCS is not a research-based program. Therefore, it may not meet the requirements for some PhD programs.

The MCS program does not require the student to identify any prospective supervisor before applying. Therefore, the student should only contact Prof. Hu once accepted into the program.

For Research-based Graduate Students

Currently, Prof. Hu does not have sufficient funding (minimum $10,000 per year and per student) to support research-based Master's degree graduate students. Furthermore, the student is not allowed to fully subsidize the cost of the study themselves. Prospective applicants should not ask Prof. Hu to be their supervisor at this moment. Additionally, naming him as a supervisor in Algoma University's application system can actually decrease the chance of acceptance.

Algoma University does not offer PhD programs. Instead, prospective PhD students should apply to Dalhousie University. They may need to prepare to live in Halifax for up to one year. It is important to note that PhD funding can be very difficult to obtain.

Tips for Emailing Prof. Hu to Join R2/C2

Any prospective student should keep these points in mind before emailing the professor:

Any email that sounds unnatural or AI-generated may be ignored.
The student should provide some information about their research areas, and their research plan. The information does not need to be in detail.
Prof. Hu can accept students who are interested in AI. However, they must keep the following in mind:
- Prof. Hu is transitioning away from immersive analytics; the main goal is now to address the fundamental issues that affect the adoption of XR.
- The student's plan for AI must have XR elements - be it to use it for mediating various computing devices, for helping with data collection or for performing data science on XR data.
The student does not need to have a prior XR background. However, they must be willing to learn one of the following frameworks: Unity, Godot or A-Frame.
Please do not attach the transcripts unless asked for one; Prof. Hu does not rely on GPA and tries to avoid making biased decisions based on them.
- You can still mention your courses and what you learned from them.
- Ultimately, Prof. Hu defers the decision about grades to the Admissions department.
Please be aware that Algoma University's graduate programs are quite new; Prof. Hu will not know all the rules himself.

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