Building a Trustworthy Information Recommendation System

Online media platforms have become the primary channels for news dissemination. Yet, these platforms are grappling with a pressing challenge of public distrust arising from pervasive issues such as misinformation, compromised user privacy, echo chambers, and community biases. This challenge is particularly acute in the context of Australia's multicultural society. This project aims to tackle this challenge by spearheading the design and development of trustworthy information recommendation technologies, including automated misinformation filtering techniques, user-controlled privacy protection mechanisms, diversity-aware information recall algorithms, and community fairness-enhanced information ranking algorithms. These technical advancements will tackle existing issues of distrust in Aussie online media platforms and lay the groundwork for a more reliable and secure cyberspace.  In addition, the generated diversity-aware information recall algorithms will champion cultural diversity in information dissemination, shatter information cocoons, and cultivate an environment that fosters cross-cultural communication. The developed community fairness-enhanced information ranking algorithms will facilitate significant strides in mitigating community biases and amplifying the voices of minority communities in the online world. 

Possible PhD research topics include, among others:

• Large Language Models for Recommendation 
• Misinformation Detection and Filtering
• Privacy-aware Recommendation 
• Community fairness-enhanced information ranking
• Diversity-aware information recall algorithms

The University of Queensland, Australia is a world's top 50 university (QS World University Rankings 2025). Embedded in the Data Science discipline at The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, you will be part of a world-leading research group in Data Science and AI with research funding coming both from the industry sector (e.g., Amazon, Meta, Google) and the public sector (e.g., Australian Research Council).

Host for the 2032 Olympic Games, Brisbane is one of the fastest-growing capital cities in Australia in terms of population and employment. Brisbane residents are young and skilled, highly educated and culturally diverse. With 12 months of sunshine-filled days and clear blue skies, Brisbane has a climate that sets the scene for year-round alfresco activities. Even in the midst of a Brisbane winter, you’ll be yearning to play in the parks and dine outdoors. As the most biologically diverse capital in Australia, Brisbane is a green city with clean, healthy air and a clear commitment to its environment. The Brisbane City Council achieved carbon-neutral status for its operations in 2017. Brisbane’s public transport system is a clean and green network of trains, ferries (CityCats) and buses that have been integrated so commuters can travel seamlessly between each service. Brisbane's nightlife is extensive, spread across both sides of the River, and packed with variety and options.

This is an Fellowship support scheme scholarship project that aligns with a recently awarded Australian Government grant.

The scholarship includes:

• living stipend of $36,400 per annum tax free (2025 rate), indexed annually
• your tuition fees covered
• single overseas student health cover (OSHC).

Learn more about the Fellowship support scheme scholarship.

Your application will be assessed on a competitive basis.

We take into account your:

• previous academic record
• publication record
• honours and awards
• employment history

A working knowledge of large language models and recommendation systems would be of benefit to someone working on this project.

You will demonstrate academic achievement in the field/s of computer science or data science and the potential for scholastic success.

A background or knowledge of data science is highly desirable.

This project requires candidates to commence no later than Research Quarter 3, 2026. To allow time for your application to be processed, we recommend applying no later than 31 March, 2026 31 December, 2025.

You can start in an earlier research quarter. See application dates.

Before you apply

1. Check your eligibility for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
2. Prepare your documentation.
3. Contact Professor Hongzhi Yin (h.yin1@uq.edu.au) to discuss your interest and suitability.

When you apply

You apply for this scholarship when you submit an application for a PhD. You don’t need to submit a separate scholarship application.

In your application ensure that under the ‘Scholarships and collaborative study’ section you select:

• My higher degree is not collaborative
• I am applying for, or have been awarded a scholarship or sponsorship
• UQ Earmarked Scholarship type.

Apply now