Dr. Delvin Ce Zhang at the University of Sheffield is seeking passionate students to join our research lab. We offer opportunities for PhD students, visiting students, postdocs, and interns. We welcome students from diverse backgrounds and provide extensive research resources and collaboration opportunities.
My research broadly lies in Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning. Specifically, I focus on applying Multi-Modal and Retrieval-Augmented Large Language Models for the following real-world problems.
Misinformation Detection. Nowadays social media, such as news articles and Twitter, is becoming increasingly popular. However, the information on social media may not be always correct, and sometimes we meet false claims or erroneous information. Misinformation detection aims to automatically verify whether the given information is true using LLM’s multi-modal reasoning. Ultimately, we aim to ensure reliable social media content. This research specifically includes fact-checking, AI-generated content detection, and claim and argument detection.
Information Retrieval. Given the large amount of data online, people feel distracted and confused with where and how to search for useful information. Information retrieval systems are expected to effectively provide relevant information based on user’s personalized query and preference using retrieval-augmented LLMs. This research focuses on multi-modal information retrieval, recommender systems, and conversational search engine.
AI for Science and Healthcare. AI and LLMs are increasingly applied for scientific discovery and healthcare. I specifically research how LLMs can be applied for medical texts and images, proteins, molecules, and research.
Dr. Delvin Ce Zhang is an Assistant Professor (UK Lecturer) at the University of Sheffield. Our research papers are primarily published on AI, ML, and NLP venues. We emphasize research excellence and collaboration, providing interactive research environment and computational support. Joining us offers:
Academic Environment. You will join weekly one-on-one research meeting with the supervisor, peer discussion and collaboration, and regular paper reading session.
Publishing Excellence. You will publish on top-tier AI, ML, and NLP venues, with support for international conference attendance.
Collaboration and Internship. You will have opportunities to develop international research collaboration and gain industrial internship experience.
I adopt both top-down advising and peer mentoring.
For top-down advising: I believe in taking a personalized approach to advising, which involves providing one-on-one guidance to inexperienced students throughout the entire research process, from generating ideas to implementing them and refining research work. For more experienced students, I offer greater flexibility while ensuring they remain on the right track.
For peer mentoring: Having studied and worked in different countries, I have developed international connections with UK, US, Singapore, Vietnam, and China. I encourage peer research collaboration both internally within the lab and internationally with top-tier universities.
The University of Sheffield is a world top-100 university with a global reputation for its exceptional teaching, impactful research, international outlook, and outstanding student experience. The School of Computer Science is rated as 8th nationally for the quality of our research environment, showing that the school is a vibrant and progressive place to undertake research. Specifically, the Natural Language Processing Group in the school was established in 1993 and is one of the UK's largest natural language processing research centres. According to CSRankings (Sep 2025), its NLP research is ranked 4th in the UK, 12th in Europe, and 52nd in the world. Currently, the group has more than 50 members including academics, postdocs, and PhD students, offering many opportunities for collaborations.
Beyond research, Sheffield is an extraordinary place to live and study. It is one of the major cities in the UK, yet 60% of it is green space. It is a city that is safe, affordable, creative, and welcoming. It has been named the 2023 UK’s foodie capital.
We welcome PhD applicants with:
Strong interest in my research directions.
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science or other related fields with good academic performance.
Good English skills. If English is not your first language, you must have an IELTS score of 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in each component.
Relevant research or engineering experience with LLMs. While the applicants are not required to have published research papers, relevant experience is a plus.
PhD scholarships are provided based on qualification and background. PhD scholarship will cover standard UK home tuition fees and provide a tax-free stipend at the standard UKRI rate (currently £19,237 for 2024/25) for 3.5 years. If you are an overseas student, you are eligible to apply but you must have the means to pay the difference between the UK and overseas tuition fees by securing additional funding or self-funding (you need to provide details on this in your proposal). Further information on international fees can be found here.
We welcome visiting PhD students with:
Strong interest in my research directions.
An ongoing PhD study at your own university and interest in visiting our research lab for a period of study.
Good English skills. If English is not your first language, you must have an IELTS score of 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in each component.
Relevant research or engineering experience with LLMs. While the applicants are not required to have published research papers, relevant experience is a plus.
Currently, I do not have funding to financially support visiting PhD students. However, I welcome students who are self-funded or funded by scholarship programs, such as China Scholarship Council Visiting PhD Scholarship.
We welcome postdoc applicants with:
Strong interest in my research directions.
PhD degree in computer science or other related fields.
Good English skills. Applicants are not required to provide English testing score, such as IELTS.
High-quality publications. The applicants are generally expected to have publications on top-tier AI, ML, and NLP venues. Applicants with interdisciplinary backgrounds are also welcome to apply.
Currently, I do not have funding to financially support postdocs. However, I welcome applicants who are self-funded or funded by fellowship programs, such as MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship, Newton Fellowship, and EPSRC Postdoctoral Fellowship.
We welcome interns and research assistants with:
Strong interest in my research directions.
An ongoing undergraduate or postgraduate study and interest in doing research with our lab.
Good English skills. Applicants are not required to provide English testing score, such as IELTS.
Currently, I do not have funding to financially support interns or research assistants. However, I welcome remote interns and research assistants, or those who want to physically visit my lab with self-funding.
Please send your CV to delvin.ce.zhang@sheffield.ac.uk or delvin.ce.zhang@gmail.com. I encourage applicants to first contact me for an informal interview before submitting official applications to the University of Sheffield.
For official PhD application, see here.
For official visiting PhD application, see here.
For postdoc / intern / research assistant application, please directly send me your CV via email.