Dianer Yu

Dianer YU

Research Associate
City Futures Research Centre
The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney
Email: Dianer.Yu-1@student.uts.edu.au

Visit my Google Scholar | ResearchGate | LinkedIn | for more detail information.

About Me

I am currently a Research Associate at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), specializing in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Large Language Models (LLMs), Housing Analytics, and Machine Learning for real-world decision-making systems. I work under the supervision of Scientia Professor Chris Pettit. I received my PhD in AI, Data Science, and Machine Learning from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), where I was supervised by Chair Professor Guandong Xu and Dr. Qian Li. I also hold a Master of Information Technology (2021) and a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (2018), both from UTS. My research interests span Artificial Intelligence, Housing Analytics, Large Language Models, Causal Inference, Recommender Systems, and Explainable Machine Learning. My long-term goal is to contribute to the development of transparent, trustworthy, and effective data-driven systems across diverse domains. With over three years of industry experience and three years of teaching experience, I am proficient in SQL, Java, R, and Python, enabling me to build scalable and interpretable solutions to complex problems. My research has been published in top-tier AI and data science venues, such as TKDE, WWW, SIGIR, CIKM, TOIS, TORS, Information Sciences, Neurocomputing, PAKDD, and DASFAA, et al.

Publications

Causal Inference

[10] A Causal-Based Attribute Selection Strategy for Conversational Recommender Systems
Dianer Yu, Qian Li, Xiangmeng Wang, Guandong Xu
IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering (TKDE), IF 9.0, Q1, Core A*, CCF A

[09] Counterfactual Explainable Conversational Recommendation
Dianer Yu, Qian Li, Xiangmeng Wang, Qing Li, Guandong Xu
IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering (TKDE), IF 9.0, Q1, Core A*, CCF A

[08] Causality-guided Graph Learning for Session-based Recommendation
Dianer Yu, Qian Li, Hongzhi Yin, Guandong Xu
International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management (CIKM 2023), CCF B, Core A

[07] Deconfounded Recommendation via Causal Intervention
Dianer Yu, Qian Li, Xiangmeng Wang, Guandong Xu
Neurocomputing, IF 6.0, JCR-Q1

[06] Reinforced Path Reasoning for Counterfactual Explainable Recommendation
Xiangmeng Wang, Qian Li, Dianer Yu, Qing Li, Guandong Xu
IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering (TKDE), IF 9.0, Q1, Core A*, CCF A

[05] Causal Time-aware News Recommendations with Large Language Models
Sirui Huang, Qian Li, Haoran Yang, Dianer Yu, Qing Li, Guandong Xu
ACM Transactions on Information Systems (TOIS), Q1, Core A*, CCF A

[04] MGPolicy: Meta Graph Enhanced Off-policy Learning for Recommendations
Xiangmeng Wang, Qian Li, Dianer Yu, Guandong Xu
ACM SIGIR Conference on Research and Development in Information Retrieval (SIGIR 2022), Core A*, CCF A

[03] Off-policy Learning over Heterogeneous Information for Recommendation
Xiangmeng Wang, Qian Li, Dianer Yu, Guandong Xu
The Web Conference (WWW 2022), Core A*, CCF A

[02] Neural Causal Graph Collaborative Filtering
Xiangmeng Wang, Qian Li, Dianer Yu, Qing Li, Guandong Xu
Information Sciences, IF 8.1, Q1

[01] Counterfactual Debiasing for Multi-behavior Recommendations
Sirui Huang, Xiangmeng Wang, Qian Li, Dianer Yu, Qing Li, Guandong Xu
International Conference on Database Systems for Advanced Applications (DASFAA 2024), CCF B, Core B

Disentangle Learning

[02] Semantics-Guided Disentangled Learning for Recommendation
Dianer Yu, Qian Li, Xiangmeng Wang, Zhichao Wang, Yanan Cao, Guandong Xu
Pacific-Asia Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (PAKDD 2022), Core A

[01] Causal Disentanglement for Semantics-Aware Intent Learning
Xiangmeng Wang, Qian Li, Dianer Yu, Peng Cui, Guandong Xu
IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering (TKDE), IF 9.0, Q1, Core A*, CCF A

Fairness

[02] Counterfactual Explanation for Fairness in Recommendation
Xiangmeng Wang, Qian Li, Dianer Yu, Qing Li, Guandong Xu
ACM Transactions on Information Systems (TOIS), Q1, Core A*, CCF A

[01] Constrained Off-policy Learning over Heterogeneous Information for Fairness-aware Recommendation
Xiangmeng Wang, Qian Li, Dianer Yu, Qing Li, Guandong Xu
ACM Transactions on Recommender Systems (TORS)

Other

[01] Reasonability Analysis and Application of Solar Energy Equipment Installation in QLD Smart City Using Information Technologies
Mingyue Guo, Dianer Yu, Shicheng Wu
International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Manufacture (AIAM 2021)

Education

  • Doctor of Philosophy: Causal Model for Recommendation
    University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Sydney, Australia
    Duration: Jan 2022 - April 2025
    Supervisors: Chair Prof. Guandong Xu and Dr. Qian Li
    Awards: 2024 HDR Excellence Award (Top-1 from UTS' School of Computer Science)

  • Master of Information Technology
    University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Sydney, Australia
    Duration: 2021 - 2022
    Awards: High Distinction Average, Twice Dean's List in the year 2020 and 2021

  • Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
    University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Sydney, Australia
    Duration: 2015 - 2018
    Awards: Distinction Average

Work Experiences

Research Associate at University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney (4/2025 - current)
  • As a core contributor to the MapAI project, I support the research and development of a NSW-based geospatial analytics system designed to enhance housing-related decision-making across NSW. This project applies generative AI techniques in collaboration with industry and government partners, and was recognized with the Innovation Award – Medium to Large Business (NSW) and the Technical Excellence Award (NSW) at the 2024 Geospatial Excellence Awards, presented by the Geospatial Council of Australia.
  • Designing and fine-tuning domain-specific LLMs for specialized tasks such as named entity recognition, information extraction, and classification in complex text domains, including geospatial reports and insurance claims.
  • Exploring retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and prompt engineering techniques to enhance the factual accuracy and contextual relevance of LLM outputs, enabling reliable decision support in high-stakes domains.
  • Developing scalable LLM pipelines with built-in privacy controls and efficient inference mechanisms, ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) while maintaining performance in production environments.
  • Conducting both independent and collaborative research in artificial intelligence and machine learning, with a focus on developing robust and interpretable architectures for large-scale data analysis, including applications in geospatial modelling and information diffusion.
Academic Tutor at University of Technology Sydney (1/2022 - current)
  • Delivering AI-related lectures and tutorials to postgraduate and undergraduate students, such as 41004 (AI/Analytics capstone project), 42046 (Data Processing using R), 48024 (Programming 2 Java \& Python) and 41181 (Information Security and Management).
  • Supervising and mentoring master's by research students, guiding them to conduct cutting-edge research in AI and machine learning, resulting in publications at top-tier conferences.
  • Organizing and supervising the capstone projects for over 200 students to ensure a seamless learning experience and project success.
  • Conducting thorough marking and grading of assignments, exams, and projects, providing constructive feedback to support student growth and achievement.
  • Offering continuous support through Q&A sessions, assessments, and prompt resolution of students' daily inquiries, fostering a conducive learning environment.
  • Collaborating with senior educators to refine course materials and teaching methodologies, contributing insights and suggestions to enhance the overall learning experience and align with industry standards.
  • Conducting thorough marking and grading of assignments, exams, and projects, providing constructive feedback to support student growth and achievement.
Developer Programmer at Quantum Facility Services, Sydney (6/2023 - 6/2024)
  • Proficiently wrote Java and PHP code, performed database design, and debugged to ensure system functionality, stability, and efficiency.
  • Tested, diagnosed, and corrected errors in application programming within established protocols to meet quality standards.
  • Authored instruction manuals and guidelines, applying changes based on program updates, and provided internal training for relevant departments.
  • Managed data storage structures, mining, warehousing, and cleansing to process large datasets and inform strategic business decisions.
  • Participated in software design meetings to gather technical requirements for new features and system improvements.
Developer Programmer at All Employment Solutions, Sydney (08/2018 - 07/2019, 07/2020 - 02/2022)
  • Writing Java, Python, and JavaScript program codes, and creating and structuring databases.
  • Maintaining and enhancing the stability and efficiency of the codes, updating old modules to accommodate new systems.
  • Providing troubleshooting and technical support.
  • Implementing new features and functionalities based on project requirements.
  • Writing and maintaining unit tests, integration tests, and automated tests.
  • Proficiency in crafting efficient SQL queries for extracting vital information from complex datasets.
  • Handling large-scale data processing to derive actionable insights for business decision-making.
  • Conducting rigorous internal testing, gathering feedback, and implementing necessary adjustments and enhancements.
  • Leveraging AWS Cloud services to enhance scalability and availability, enabling data-driven insights and research, such as location-based AB testing for user engagement optimization.
Developer Programmer at Bedworks, Sydney (8/2019 - 4/2020)
  • Used Agile methodology to develop and implement an online shopping management system through the PrestaShop platform.
  • Writing Java program code based on various requirements, creating and structuring databases, and maintaining, updating, and enhancing code stability and efficiency.
  • Maintaining and updating old modules to accommodate new systems.
  • Creating landing page and product page of new products and brands.
  • Utilized cloud-based AWS S3 storage for scalability and high availability in applications.
  • Integrated new payment methods (e.g., AfterPay) into the PrestaShop platform and ensured plugin compatibility with older versions.
  • Improved customer traffic by integrating Google Shopper bot tracking, Rich Snippets, and monitoring firewall through Cloudflare.
  • Conducting internal tests with the other departments, collecting feedbacks and making relevant adjustments and enhancements.

Honors & Awards

Year Award Organisation
2024 HDR Excellence Reward UTS
2024 UTS One-Off Scholarship UTS
2023 President's Scholarship UTS
2023 International Research Scholarship UTS
2023 Data61 Full Scholarship CSIRO
2022 Vice Chancellor's Conference Fund UTS
2022 FEIT Postgraduate Dean's List 2022 UTS
2021 FEIT Postgraduate Dean's List 2021 UTS

Teaching Experiences

Year Course Role Organisation
2025 48024 Programming 2 Lead Tutor UTS
2024 41181 Information Security and Management Lead Tutor UTS
2024 48024 Programming 2 Lead Tutor UTS
2023 42046 Data Processing using R Tutor & Co-Lecturer UTS
2023 48024 Programming 2 Lead Tutor UTS
2022 42046 Data Processing using R Tutor & Co-Lecturer UTS
2022 41004 AI/Analytics Capstone Project Lead Tutor UTS

Professional Services

Organizing Committee & Local Chair

Year Conference/Event
2025 International Conference on Behavioural and Social Computing (BESC)
2024 International Conference on Digital Society and Intelligent Systems (DSInS)
2023 International Symposium on Emerging Technologies for Education (SETE), International Conference on Web-Based Learning (ICWL)

Program Committee Member & Reviewer

Conferences/Journals
KDD, ICDM, TKDE, CIKM, TCSS, KBS, PAKDD, PRICAI, DASFAA, WSDM, EMNLP, TIST, TORS, SIGIR, BESC, ECML, ECAI, WWW Journal, ICONIP, KIS, KNOSYS, Supercomputing, Discover Computing, IJMLC

Membership

Organization Membership Type
Australian Computer Society (ACS) Member
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Member
IEEE Member, Young Professionals
University of Sydney, Centre for AI, Trust and Governance Affiliate Member

News

  • Dianer joins UNSW as a Research Associate from April/2025.
  • One paper is accepted by TKDE on Feb 2025.
  • Dianer has been rewarded as 2024 HDR Excellence Reward.
  • We are organizing conference DSInS on Nov 2024, Dianer is serving as organizing committee.
  • One paper is accepted by Information Science Journal on June 2024.
  • One paper is accepted by DASFAA24 on March 2024.
  • Two papers are accepted by TKDE and TOIS on Jan 2024.
  • One paper is accepted by TKDE on Sep 2023.
  • One paper is accepted by TORS on Nov 2023.
  • We are organizing conference ICWL and SETE on Nov 2023, Dianer is serving as local chair.
  • One paper is accepted by CIKM 2023.
  • One paper is accepted by Neurocomputing on Feb 2023.
  • Dianer is successful in UTS President's Scholarship.
  • Dianer is successful in CSIRO Data61 scholarship by Data61 scholarship selection committee.
  • Dianer has been rewarded as 2021 Postgraduate Dean's List.
  • Two papers are accepted by TKDE and SIGIR22.
  • Dianer started his PhD journey at UTS, one paper is accepted by PAKDD22 Core A.
  • Dianer has received MSc degree from UTS on 2021.
  • Dianer has been rewarded as 2020 Postgraduate Dean's List.
  • Dianer has received BSc degree from UTS on 2018.