Odin Zhang, a 1st year PhD candidate supervised by Prof. Heng Pheng-Ann in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, has been awarded a research grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) to support his doctoral research on quantum-informed artificial intelligence for small-molecule drug design. His project aims to integrate quantum-scale physicochemical information into AI-based generative models, addressing key limitations in accurately modeling molecular energy landscapes and stability. By developing multi-scale quantum representations, energy-aware pre-trained models, and efficient neural operators for quantum property prediction, this research seeks to improve the reliability of molecular generation, screening, and optimization. The outcomes are expected to advance high-precision AI methodologies for drug discovery and contribute to the development of next-generation intelligent drug design platforms.
