For prospective students (PhD or thesis-based MSc) interested in working with me

I get lots of inquries from prospective students asking whether there are opennings in my group. For the right students, the answer is almost always YES (so there is no need to ask). If you are interested in joining my group as a PhD or thesis-based MSc student, I would encourage you to apply to the PhD in Computer Science program or the Master of Computer Science program. Concordia accepts applications with three different start dates (Fall, Winter, Summer). Please refer to the application information here. I especially encourage students from under-represented groups to consider applying. Note that direct entry into the PhD program from BSc is atypical in Canada. Normally, students with a BSc should apply to the MSc program. For really excellent students, it is possible to fast-track to the PhD program after one year in the MSc program. However, for exceptional undergrads (e.g. if you already have publications at top-tier venues as undergrads), it may even be possible to be directly admitted to the PhD program -- please contact me directly in such exceptional cases. The application system will ask you to select one or more potential supervisors. You do not need my permission to select my name. Note that the supervisor selection in the application system is not binding. Every professor in the department will be able to see all applications. It is possible to be admitted under a professor regardless whether you have selected him/her as potential supervisor in your application.

If you would like to contact me before or after the application, you are welcome to do so (however this is not necessary, and in general you should not expect a reply). You can send me the following items via email (PDF or plain text, or URL to a website containing these items).
  • A copy of your CV.
  • Transcripts (unofficial ones are sufficient) from ALL post-secondary instutions that you have attended. If you have a Master's degree or currently in a Master's program, you should send me transcripts from both your Bachelor's and Master's programs. Also note that you should send me the transcripts (I need the information on what courses you have taken), not just GPA.
  • Up to three representative publications written in English if you have.
  • TOEFL/IELTS score when applicable (our department does not require GRE), or mention that you will take the test in the near future.
  • A brief description of your research interests, and your background in computer vision, machine learning, or related areas. This can be courses, projects, online courses/certificates (e.g. Coursera, Udacity), etc.
  • If you have already submitted a complete application to Concordia, let me know your Concordia student ID
Please only use the email address "yangwang.gradapp at gmail dot com" for inquiries about graduate admissions. Emails sent to my regular Concordia email address are likely to be ignored.

Due to the large number of requests I receive, I apologize that I can only reply to very few of them. If you have a truly outstanding background (e.g. you already have publications at top-tier venues) and are a really good fit to our group, I might write back personally to start a conversion and/or interview. If you do not hear from me, it simply means that you have to apply and compete with other applicants. I will periodically browse applications in the system, and will contact you directly if I am interested in your application. Unfortunately, I do not have the bandwith to estimate your chance of admission before you apply.

Note that even if I agree to accept you to my group, your application will still go through the evaluation by the graduate studies committee. The committee can still reject the application or require additional courses as a condition of the admission. Funding is available to exceptional candidates, however it is NOT guaranteed for all admitted students. I will prioritize funding for PhD students and MSc students who are able/willing to fast-track to PhD.

For PhD applicants from China, you might be interested in the Concordia/CSC joint scholarship.

For course-based MSc students

Our department also offers course-based MSc programs. Students in these programs do not need a supervisor and the admission is handled centrally by the department. However, it is possible for course-based MSc students to transfer to thesis-based MSc programs within about one year. An alternative way of joining my research group is to start as a course-based MSc student. Once you have taken some graduate courses and done well, I am more likely to consider your transfer to the thesis program in my lab.

If you are a current course-based MSc student at Concordia and is interested in transferring to thesis-based MSc program in my group, please send me an email with your CV and transcripts. It will be helpful if you have taken advanced courses in computer vision and/or machine learning at Concordia and done well in those courses. I will follow up with you and set up a meeting if necessary.

For current Concordia undergraduates

There are multiple funding opportunities for Concordia undergraduates to participate in research, e.g. NSERC USRA, Concordia Undergraduate Student Research Awards. Please have a look at these webpages for eligibility, deadline, etc. If you are interested in my group, feel free to email me your CV and transcript. Due to the limit lab space and other resources, the available positions for undergraduate research students are very limited. I will prioritize students who are planning to do MSc/PhD studies afterwards.

For visiting students/scholars

I cannot provide any funding for visiting students/scholars. But if you have your own funding from your home country or instituion (e.g. CSC scholarship from China), I am happy to consider hosting your visit if there is mutual interest. Feel free to get in touch. Usually I prefer longer visits (at least 3 months) so that we can have meaningful outputs.

For prospective postdocs

If you have a good publication record (e.g. with first-author papers at top-tier venues, such as CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, NeurIPS, ICLR, ICML, etc), you are welcome to reach out to me with your CV for possible postdoc positions. For Canadian citizens or permanent residents, you might want to check out external fellowships such as NSERC postdoc fellowship and FRQNT postdoc fellowship.