Staff Profile

Biography

Hi! I'm Yan (Quinne) Lin, currently pursuing a Ph.D in Computer Science, working on multimodal learning (start in 2025, the first-year PhD student now). My research is fully funded by Postgraduate Research Studentship (5-year package; covering full international tuition fees and a tax-free living UKRI stipend; equivalent in scope to a U.S. Teaching Assistantship). My personal website is here (updated regularly) .

I am working as a Postgraduate Teaching Assistant (regular fixed-term staff; contract is 5-year and co-terminous with the PhD; all staff leave, sick-pay and professional-development entitlements apply from day on) in the School of Computing. Duties: Lab demonstrator and Marker; Invigilator; IT maintenance technician; MSc & Mphil dissertation mentor; Open day ambassor etc. I am also completing the Associate Fellowship Pathway through the Newcastle Univeristy.

Current Research

My research interests centre around Large Language Models (LLMs), multimodal learning, and the development of LLM-based intelligent agents. I am particularly interested in the practical engineering and deployment of transformer-based models for tasks such as text generation, multi-step reasoning, multilingual comprehension, and instruction following. Having transitioned from a background in finance and data science into computer science, I bring a strong applied perspective to my research. 

I am currently a member of Prof Chris Oates' Machine Learning Group, where I primarily handle the applied aspects of the group's research ideas. Moving forward, I intend to explore further research that combines fundamental machine learning with practical applications.

Several papers are currently in preparation and under review. I am very interested in LLMs & Agents related potential collaboration opportunities. I am very open to research collaboration on internal or external projects. Feel free to email me.

About Me

Originally from China, I earned my BA in Finance and Economics in Mainland China and Taiwan. After that, I worked for three years in China's four largest state-owned banks and ten largest brokerage firms. With my interest in math and programming, I changed my major to Master of Data Science at Durham University (2022-2023, average 78%). My Durham dissertation used an integrated neural network model to predict the outcome of The Hundred cricket matches, achieving a successful prediction rate of 76%.

In the 2024 PhD application journey, I got six fully-funded PhD scholarships (UKRI CDT/Faculty Scholarship/China Scholarship Council) from different universities (QS 20-150), including two full scholarships from Durham University. Thanks a lot:)

Beyond academic research, I enjoy playing script-based games like murder mystery games, escape rooms, and watching detective series. I am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes. I am proud to be a member of Women in STEM and regularly update my study notes to help non-technical individuals get started with AI.

I welcome any enquiries regarding my research, teaching, or potential collaboration opportunities (I am very interested in).

Please feel free to get in touch.

y.lin64@ncl.ac.uk (student account, research& collaboration enquiry)

quinne.lin@ncl.ac.uk (staff account, teaching enquiry)

Potential Collaborations: If you are interested in these topics, feel free to reach out for more information!

I consider myself an LLM engineer and applied researcher, with a keen interest in aligning generative AI systems with human needs and real-world challenges.

I enjoy teaching various subjects in the field of artificial intelligence and am passionate about explaining advanced AI concepts in clear and understandable language to people without a computer science background, especially young audiences.

Teaching at Newcastle University

CSC1035 Programming Portfolio 2 – Java

Undergraduate Lab Demonstrator & Marker, School of Computing, 2024–25 (completed), 2025–26 (assigned)

CSC1034 Programming Portfolio 1 – Python

Undergraduate Lab Demonstrator & Marker, School of Computing, 2025–26 (completed)

CSC8632 Data Science in the Wild (Group Project)

Master-level Lab Demonstrator & Marker, School of Computing, 2025–26 (assigned)

CSC8330 Advanced Programming for Digital Biology

Master-level Lab Demonstrator, School of Computing, 2025–26 (assigned)

Additional Teaching Responsibilities

Lab Testing & Maintenance

Induction Week Support

Student Recruitment 

Exam Invigilation

MSc &Mphil Summer Dissertation Project Support