Academic:

I am a postdoctoral researcher at Oxford Statistics working with Prof. Patrick Rebeschini. My research focuses on learning theory and high-dimensional statistics, with particular emphasis on heterogeneous data settings. I believe in Slow Science.

I have recently been working on three main problems:

• Design and analyse algorithms for online learning where data arrives sequentially and evolves over time;
• Study the training dynamics of neural networks and attention mechanisms, particularly under challenging conditions like non-stationarity, adversarial contamination, and distribution shifts;
• Black-box methods for post-training uncertainty quantification particularly for sequential data.

I completed my PhD at Cambridge in 2024, where I was fortunate to be advised by Prof. Ramji Venkataramanan. My PhD work centered on information theory and high-dimensional statistics, motivated by fundamental questions such as: Given a complex statistical estimation problem, what is the minimal amount of data we need to estimate the underlying signal? Can we design efficient, mathematically-principled algorithms that approach the minimum?

Prior to my PhD, I obtained my BA and MEng with distinction in Information and Computer Engineering from Cambridge in 2019.

I was an intern with Microsoft Research Cambridge in 2023, where I worked on error correction codes with ML decoding for Project Silica, a novel glass-based data storage technology. This work has recently been accepted to Nature.

Personal:

My first name is pronounced as “Sh-ih-ow Chi” (meaning jade born at dawn in Chinese), but feel free to call me Shirley!

Having lived and worked across four cultures (British, Chinese, Singaporean, and American), I have developed strong adaptability and open-mindedness. I am naturally curious about people from different cultural backgrounds and enjoy learning from their diverse experiences and perspectives. While I am introverted by nature, I have a warm personality and deep sense of empathy. Through leadership roles such as postgraduate representative, I work to bring people together and foster meaningful connections within my community.

Besides work, I like practising yoga.

Get in touch:

I am actively seeking collaborators on learning theory, statistics and ML. Please send me an email if you are interested in working together!

Email: shirley.liu [at] stats.ox.ac.uk, xiaoqi.shirley.liu [at] gmail.com