Dr Zhongtian Sun is a Lecturer in the School of Computing at the University of Kent, specialising in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). Dr Sun is Mila Quebec AI Institute AI Policy Fellow and Visiting Fellow at the Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge. His research focuses on enhancing the expressive and learning capabilities of deep learning models, with applications in healthcare, finance, education, and recommendation systems.
Dr Sun holds a PhD in Computer Science from Durham University. Before joining the University of Kent, he was a Researcher at the University of Cambridge, where he worked on AI for Neuroscience, developing machine learning methods to model and analyse neural data. He later joined the University of Oxford as a Researcher, focusing on large language models (LLMs) and knowledge graphs, exploring how LLMs can improve interpretability, reasoning and generalisation.
In addition to his academic experience, Dr Sun has industry experience in asset management, where he worked on financial data analysis, quantitative research, and investment strategies. His expertise extends to the application of large language models (LLMs) and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) in finance, focusing on automating financial knowledge extraction, enhancing decision support systems, and improving information retrieval for investment insights. This combination of academic research and industry experience allows him to bridge cutting-edge AI advancements with real-world financial applications.
His research is centred on graph representation learning, causal inference, and explainable AI, with a strong interest in multimodal AI and knowledge graph automation. He has published in leading AI and ML conferences and journals, contributing to advancements in graph learning, natural language processing and AI-driven decision-making systems.
Dr Sun actively collaborates with Durham University, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Oxford. He serves as a PC Member and Reviewer for top-tier AI conferences and is involved in industry collaborations applying AI-driven solutions in finance.
At Kent, he continues to expand his research in representation learning, multimodal learning and AI explainability and is actively seeking PhD students in AI and machine learning. Dr Sun is also supervising MPhil and PhD/DPhil students at the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford.
Dr Sun’s research focuses on AI-driven methods for representation learning, causal inference, logic and AI safety, with applications in healthcare, finance, education, and recommendation systems.
Current research includes:
Dr Sun welcomes PhD applications in the following areas:
Potential PhD candidates should have a strong background in AI, deep learning, or data science and a well-defined research direction aligned with these topics.
If you are interested, please email Dr Sun with your CV and a detailed research proposal, ensuring that your research question is clearly articulated.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2rpGkAoTPuJWgwtsYUQlgo
Invited to discuss explainable multimodal AI for early cancer detection, including Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer (HDGC) and Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma (SRCC), and multi-agent decision support grounded in clinical reasoning.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5TCm3wg2JWVe4lhU16JDWx?si=lg6CXPCETdCa9JKMWir3aw
Invited to discuss “Teaching, Tracing, and the AI-native learner,” drawing on SPAR GNN research and teaching practice; covered identifying/supporting at-risk learners, the ethics of selective AI feedback, and teaching in the GenAI era.
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