Tianqiu Zhang
"The brain is not a passive mirror reflecting the world, but an active engine shaping the world."
Ph.D. student
Peking University
Beijing, China
I am currently a fourth-year Ph.D. student at Peking University, advised by Prof. Si Wu. My research focuses on world models and computational neuroscience.
My current research interests are:
- Latent World Models: brain-inspired world models, latent action models, structure learning.
- Brain-inspired Representation Learning: phase coding, multi-scale coding, equivariant map.
- Self-supervised Reinforcement Learning: goal-conditioned RL, skill learning, zero-shot generalization.
- Whole-brain Simulation: connectome-constrained models, sensorimotor closed-loop training.
My long-term academic goal is to build a general embodied agent from vision and self-motion. I see world models as a language-independent way to learn general representations from continuous perceptual signals. I am also exploring whether bottom-up hierarchical abstraction from pure vision sequences can lead to compact, compositional, and transferable abstract concept.
Education
| 2022--2027(expected) | Peking University Ph.D. in Integrated Life Sciences (Physics). Advised by Prof. Si Wu. |
|---|---|
| 2018--2022 | Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications B.S. in Computer Science and Technology. |
latest posts
selected publications
- DiLA: Disentangled Latent Action World ModelsIn International Conference on Machine Learning, 2026
- Structure Abstraction and Generalization in a Hippocampal-Entorhinal Inspired World ModelIn International Conference on Machine Learning, 2026