Chao Tian

Dr. Chao Tian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, part of the College of Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University (2005) and a B.E. from Tsinghua University (2000). His research focuses on information theory, distributed storage systems, coding theory, and machine learning applications, including large language models (LLMs) and privacy-preserving techniques like steganography and private information retrieval (PIR). He has received notable awards, including the 2017 IEEE Jack Wolf ISIT Best Student Paper Award and the 2014 IEEE ComSoc DSTC Best Paper Award.

Dr. Tian’s work bridges theoretical foundations and practical applications, such as optimizing storage codes for distributed systems, developing secure PIR protocols, and exploring LLMs in energy and steganographic contexts. His group has pioneered methods for variable-order Markov chain modeling with transformers and designed quantization techniques for perceptual quality. Recent activities include a faculty development leave at MIT/Harvard and delivering distinguished lectures globally on AI and information theory. He advises students on cutting-edge topics like LLM-based steganography and diffusion models.

His publications span journals like IEEE Transactions on Information Theory and conferences such as NeurIPS and ISIT, with a focus on coding theory, privacy, and machine learning. He has also contributed to open-source tools like the CAI toolbox for investigating information-theoretic limits. Current projects include optimizing cryptocurrency mining in energy markets and advancing federated learning with adversarial robustness.