Ziming Liu

I’m on the academic job market this year, looking for faculty and postdoc positions starting 2025 fall!

Hi! I’m Ziming, a final year PhD student at MIT & IAIFI, advised by Prof. Max Tegmark. Get my CV here. My research interests lie in the intersection of AI and physics (science in general):

• Science of AI: Understanding AI using science. I’m interested in understanding intriguing network phenomena (e.g., grokking, neural scaling laws) and their implications for next-generation AI.
• Science for AI: Advancing AI using science. I’m obsessed with building mathematical and scientific principles into AI.
• AI for Science: Advancing science using AI. I’m excited about inventing AI4Science models that are both accurate and interpretable.

I am grateful to the Quanta magazine (among other media outlets) which has covered all three branches of my research. Consider reading if you want to get some taste:

• Science of AI (Grokking): How Do Machines ‘Grok’ Data?
• Science for AI (Poisson Flow): The Physical Process That Powers a New Type of Generative AI
• AI for Science (KAN): Novel Architecture Makes Neural Networks More Understandable

My research philosophy is best described by John Hopfield’s inspiring words in his Nobel lecture:

[About physics] Physics is not defined by subject matter, but is a point of view that the world around us (with effort, ingenuity and adequete resources) is understandable in a predictive and reasonably quantitative fashion.

[About choosing problems] I am now looking for a big problem whose resolution and understanding will be of significance far beyond its normal disciplinary boundaries and will reorganize the fields from which they came.

To break disciplinary boundaries, I am decicated to bring young talents into this exciting field of AI + Science, as well as bring together AI researchers and domain scientists. I’m excited to teach courses on AI + Science when opportunities arise. Take a look at the syllabus for Science of AI and AI for Science that I’m designing and let me know if you would be interested in signup if such courses exist!