The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) – PhD in Computational Social Science

Cross-cutting areas in the methodology of social sciences and politics, including:

• A large-language model (LLM) driven text measurement method;
• Automatic processing of open questionnaire data;
• Political behaviour in urban governance and housing policies;
• AI Security and alignment.

Sociology, political science, public policy, economics, statistics, computer science, artificial intelligence, data science, computing social sciences, psychology, communications, mathematics

• Academic background: bachelor's/master's degree in social sciences or quantitative/calculating-related disciplines (e.g. statistics, artificial intelligence, computer science, computer engineering, etc.).
• Accomplishment requirements: Undergraduates are required to obtain a second degree with honours or an average undergraduate achievement of B and above (GPA 3.2/ 4.0). Master's entry to GPA is not mandatory.
• Language requirements: TOEFL: 550 (written test)/ 79 (machine test/home test); Or IELTS: 6.5 (test centre/Online); Exemptions are available for national degrees in English.
• Recommendation letter: Provide 2
• Priority conditions: Applicants with relevant work experience, scientific results and influential academic papers will be given priority. Applicants with a solid academic background will be given priority from higher education institutions 985/ 211 or higher education institutions 100 that rank first. Good English language skills, especially in oral English, allow for a clear presentation of their research ideas and for participation in academic exchanges and discussions. There is a strong scientific interest, a strong research motivation and a spirit of academic exploration.

• Copies of official report cards and scoring programmes;
• Copies of academic/professional qualifications;
• English report card;
• A letter of recommendation 2;
• Personal presentations and curricula vitae;
• Copies of identification documents;
• Research programmes;
• Papers (if any);
• Other supplementary materials (e.g., school requirements).

Autumn enrolment (9 months).

• First round of applications: 10 month -- 12 mid-month;
• Second round of applications: 2 mid-month -- 4 early.

Autumn: 12 Mid (first round) and 4 Early (discard wheel)

The project is a full-time doctoral programme with a school year of 4-5 for only 1-2 students.

The project offers scholarship opportunities, including full and partial funding, through a competitive selection mechanism, which is granted through scholarships, TA/RA grants, etc. The specific funding scheme is based on the final receipt of the Funding Letter of Grant, and the mentor will give a preliminary assessment of the applicant's financial competitiveness during the interview. Background, meritorious people also have the opportunity to receive school-level scholarships (e.g. Presidential Fellowship, Dean's Fellowship).