Ken M. L. Yiu

Professor

Department of Computing
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hung Hom, Kowloon
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2766 7246
Office: PQ712
E-mail: csmlyiu AT comp DOT polyu DOT edu DOT hk

     


I received the Bachelor Degree in Computer Engineering and the PhD Degree in Computer Science from the University of Hong Kong in 2002 and 2006, respectively. Then, I worked at Aalborg University from 2006 to 2009. I am currently a professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. My research focuses on databases, in particular query processing topics on spatiotemporal data and multidimensional data.

Publications       DBLP record

To PhD applicants: please follow the procedure stated here; I do not reply to any unsolicited email.



Research students

Current
  • Jiaping CAO
  • Zheng BIAN (jointly supervised with Bo TANG)
  • Zhengxin YOU (jointly supervised with Bo TANG)
  • Qiao HE
  • Qifeng SHEN
  • Wenbo YAO
Graduated
  • Jiahao ZHANG (PhD graduated in 2023, now Senior R&D Engineer @ Huawei)
  • Fang WANG (PhD graduated in 2022, now Senior R&D Engineer @ Huawei)
  • Zhe LI (PhD graduated in 2022, now Senior R&D Engineer @ Alibaba)
  • Ran BAI (PhD graduated in 2019)
  • Tsz Nam CHAN (PhD graduated in 2019, now Professor @ Shenzhen University)
  • Yat Fung IP (MPhil graduated in 2019)
  • Chun Yin LIU (MPhil graduated in 2018)
  • Wenjian XU (PhD graduated in 2018, now Associate Professor @ Zhejiang University of Science and Technology)
  • Bo TANG (PhD graduated in 2017, now Associate Professor @ Southern University of Science and Technology)
  • Qiang ZHANG (PhD graduated in 2016)
  • Yu LI (PhD graduated in 2015, now Associate Professor @ Hangzhou Dianzi University)
  • Takazumi MATSUMOTO (PhD graduated in 2015, previously Dr. Edward Hung's student, now Staff Scientist @ Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University)
  • Pui Hang LI (MPhil graduated in 2015, now Senior Full Stack Developer @ Convoy Financial Services Ltd.)
  • Jeppe Rishede THOMSEN (PhD graduated in 2015)
  • Jianguo WANG (MPhil graduated in 2013, now Assistant Professor @ Purdue University)

Research projects

  • Advancing Learned Index Structures for Databases via Non-linear Functions (PI, Hong Kong GRF 152043/23E, 2024-2026)
  • Exploiting Smart Memory/Storage for Accelerating Data Mining on Vector Data (PI, Hong Kong GRF 152018/20E, 2021-2023)
  • Fast Approximate Data Analytics for Analytic Databases (PI, Hong Kong GRF 152050/19E, 2020-2022)
  • Efficient Spatial Data Management for Crowdsourced Transportation (PI, Hong Kong GRF 152196/16E, 2017-2019)
  • Leveraging Modern CPUs for Efficient Query Processing on Time Series Data (PI, Hong Kong GRF 152043/15E, 2016-2018)
  • Scalable Retrieval Techniques for Massive High-Dimensional Data (PI, Hong Kong GRF 152201/14E, 2015-2017)
  • Automatic Performance Tuning of Spatial Indexes for Dynamic Workloads in Spatial Databases (PI, Hong Kong GRF 5302/12E, 2013-2015)
  • Trustworthy Processing of Shortest Path Queries Over Online Road Network Databases (PI, Hong Kong GRF 5333/10E, 2010-2013)

Award

  • SSTD 2025 10-Year Impact Award


Professional activities

Reviewer for journals
  • IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering (IEEE TKDE)
  • Very Large Data Base Journal (VLDBJ)
  • ACM Transactions on Database Systems (ACM TODS)
  • ACM Transactions on Spatial Algorithms and Systems (ACM TSAS)
  • Information Systems (Inf. Syst.)
Editorial advisory board
  • Information Systems (Inf. Syst.)
Area chair
  • International Conference on Data Engineering (ICDE 2024)
Program committee membership
  • ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data (SIGMOD 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2013)
  • International Conference on Very Large Data Bases (VLDB 2026, 2025, 2020, 2013)
  • IEEE International Conference on Data Engineering (ICDE 2026, 2025, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2016, 2014, 2013, 2010)
  • IEEE International Conference on Big Data (BigData 2025)
  • ACM SIGSPATIAL International Conference on Advances in Geographic Information Systems (ACM SIGSPATIAL 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011)
  • International Symposium on Spatial and Temporal Databases (SSTD 2025, 2023, 2021, 2015, 2013, 2011, 2007)
  • ACM International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management (CIKM 2023, 2022, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2009, 2008)
  • ACM Symposium on Cloud Computing (SoCC 2023)
  • International Conference on Mobile Data Management (MDM 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2013, 2012)
  • International Conference on Database Systems for Advanced Applications (DASFAA 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011)
  • International Conference on Web Information Systems Engineering (WISE 2021, 2019)
  • International Conference on Extending Database Technology (EDBT 2018)
  • International Conference on Scientific and Statistical Database Management (SSDBM 2015, 2014, 2008)
Conference organizer
  • Proceedings Chair of Pacific-Asia Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (PAKDD 2026)
  • Proceedings Chair of International Symposium on Spatial and Temporal Databases (SSTD 2021)
  • Local Arrangement Co-Chair of International Conference on Web Information Systems Engineering (WISE 2019)
  • PC Co-Chair of International Joint Conference on Web and Big Data (APWeb-WAIM 2019)
  • Proceedings Chair of International Conference on Mobile Data Management (MDM 2019)
  • PC Co-Chair of International Workshop on Mobile Data Analytics (MoDA 2013)
  • Publicity Chair of International Conference on Mobile Data Management (MDM 2013)
  • Publication Chair of International ACM Workshop on Data Engineering for Wireless and Mobile Access (MobiDE 2012)
  • Web Chair of International Symposium on Spatial and Temporal Databases (SSTD 2009)
Local services
  • Vice Chair of ACM Hong Kong Chapter (ACM-HK)
  • Member of HKDSE ICT Subject Committee


Teaching

  • COMP2012. Discrete Mathematics (Fall 2025, Fall 2021, Fall 2020)
  • COMP2013. Data Structures and Algorithms (Spring 2025, Spring 2024)
  • COMP5112. Data Structures and Database Systems (Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022)
  • COMP3022. Algorithms Engineering (Spring 2023)
  • COMP3021. Programming Language Paradigms (Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Spring 2017)
  • COMP1411. Introduction to Computer Systems (Spring 2020)
  • COMP5434. Big Data Computing (Fall 2019, Summer 2019)
  • COMP5111. Database Systems and Management (Fall 2018)
  • COMP5151. Advanced Database Systems (Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2010)
  • COMP3011. Design and Analysis of Algorithms (Fall 2016, Fall 2015)
  • COMP6701. Advanced Topics in Computer Algorithms (Fall 2015)
  • COMP327. Data Structures and Algorithms II (Fall 2014, Fall 2013, Fall 2012, Fall 2011, Fall 2010)
  • COMP5324. Internet Information Retrieval (Fall 2014)
  • COMP328. Programming Languages: Theory and Applications (Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Spring 2012, Spring 2011)
  • COMP433. Information Retrieval (Summer 2013)
  • COMP305P. Data Structures and Algorithms (Fall 2012, Spring 2012)
  • COMP306. Software Engineering and User Interfaces (Fall 2009)