About the Project
Autonomous driving systems require comprehensive testing across diverse and complex traffic environments; however, existing scenario generation approaches often suffer from limited realism, insufficient diversity, and poor generalization across different regions. This PhD project aims to investigate intelligent scenario generation and generalization methods by leveraging foundation models, generative AI, world models, and digital twin technologies. The research will learn the spatiotemporal…
evolution patterns of complex traffic environments from real-world traffic data to automatically generate testing scenarios with high realism, diversity, and criticality. Furthermore, it will explore knowledge transfer mechanisms across different cities, road networks, and traffic ecosystems, enabling cross-domain scenario adaptation and reuse. The ultimate goal is to establish a generalizable autonomous driving testing framework that supports efficient safety validation, performance evaluation, and continuous development of autonomous driving systems.
For more information about doctoral scholarship and PhD programme at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), please visit:
- https://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/admissions/global/entry-requirements/
- https://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/admissions/global/fees-and-scholarship
Supervisor
- Principal supervisor: Dr Dongyao Jia (XJTLU)
- Co-supervisor: Dr Along Jin (XJTLU)
- Co-supervisor: Dr Meng Fang (UoL)
- Co-supervisor: Dr Haitao He (Loughborough University)
Requirements
A Master's degree with Merit and a Bachelor's degree with first-class or upper second-class honors are required for PhD admissions. Exceptional candidates holding only a Bachelor's degree may be considered on an individual basis in certain disciplines.
Evidence of good spoken and written English is essential. The candidate should have an IELTS (or equivalent) score of 6.5 or above, if the first language is not English. This position is open to all qualified candidates irrespective of nationality.
Degree
The student will be awarded a PhD degree from the University of Liverpool (UK) upon successful completion of the program.
Funding
The PhD studentship is available for three years subject to satisfactory progress by the student. The award covers tuition fees for three years (currently equivalent to RMB 99,000 per annum). It also provides up to RMB 16,500 to allow participation at international conferences during the period of the award. RA/TA subsidy will be offered upon the working performance. The scholarship holders are expected to conduct the majority of their research at XJTLU in Suzhou, China. However, they may apply for a short-term research visit to the University of Liverpool if the project requires it.
How to Apply
Interested applicants are advised to email dongyao.jia@xjtlu.edu.cn the following documents for initial review and assessment (please put the project title in the subject line):
- CV
- Two formal reference letters
- Personal statement outlining your interest in the position
- Certificates of English language qualifications (IELTS or equivalent)
- Full academic transcripts in both Chinese and English (for international students, only the English version is required)
- Verified certificates of education qualifications in both Chinese and English (for international students, only the English version is required)
- PDF copy of Master Degree dissertation (or an equivalent writing sample) and examiners reports available
Contact
Please email dongyao.jia@xjtlu.edu.cn with a subject line of the PhD project title.
The principal supervisor's profile is linked here: https://scholar.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/persons/DongyaoJia
Where will I study?
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) is an international joint-venture university founded by Xi'an Jiaotong University in China and the University of Liverpool in the UK, which captures the essence of both parent universities, offering students the opportunity to obtain globally recognised UK degree and a unique life experience within China.
Project supervisors
Associate Professor Dongyao Jia
Career overview
Dongyao Jia is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Communications and Networking, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Queensland. They received a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) in Automation from Harbin Engineering University, China in 1998, and a PhD in Computer Science from the City University of Hong Kong in 2014. Prior to joining XJTLU, they worked as a Research Fellow in the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Queensland, Australia, from 2018 to 2021, and at the Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, UK, from 2015 to 2018. They have ten years of experience in the telecom industry in China, where they were promoted to Senior Engineer in 2008. Dongyao Jia is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and a member of IEEE, ACM, and CCF. They were named in the list of 2024 Stanford top 2% scientists and awarded the 2024 'Gusu Innovation and Entrepreneurship Leading Talents' Programme.
Research interests
Dongyao Jia's primary research focuses on applying advanced ICT technologies to connected and automated driving and intelligent transport systems. Specific areas of interest include vehicular networks, intelligent traffic flow modelling and cooperative driving, big-data analytics in transport, and digital-twin-enabled transportation. Additionally, research interests extend to low-altitude air mobility. Over the past few years, they have actively participated as the principal investigator or co-principal investigator in several research projects funded by the National Science Foundation of China and the EU H2020, with many works published in prestigious journals and conferences such as IEEE TITS, TVT, Commun. Surveys Tuts., and Transportation Research Part B/C.
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