Ningning Ding (丁宁宁)

I will join the Data Science and Analytics (DSA) Thrust at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) as a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in August 2024. Multiple PhD, Postdoc, and RA openings are available in Fall 2024/Spring 2025/Fall 2025, working on machine unlearning, data trading, and federated learning. If you are interested, please email me your CV and transcripts!

I am a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northwestern University.

Email: ningningding54@gmail.com


[Biography] | [Research Interests] | [Selected Publications] | [Teaching Experience] | [Services] | [Awards]

Biography

Research Interests

Research Areas:
  • Artificial intelligence: federated learning and unlearning, distributed coded machine learning
  • Network system: Internet of Things (IoT), Internet of Everything (IoE), sharing platform
  • Network economics: data and model trading, incentive mechanism, pricing mechanism

Methodologies:
  • Machine learning
  • Mechanism design
  • Modeling and optimization
  • Game theory
  • Mathematical analysis


Selected Publications

  • J. Cheng, N. Ding, J. C.S. Lui, and J. Huang, "Continuous Query-based Data Trading," ACM SIGMETRICS, 2024. (Acceptance rate 10%, CCF B)
  • N. Ding, E. Wei, and R. Berry, "Strategic Data Revocation in Federated Unlearning," IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications (INFOCOM), 2024. (Acceptance rate 19.6%, CCF A)(PDF)
  • N. Ding, Z. Sun, E. Wei, and R. Berry, "Incentive Mechanism Design for Federated Learning and Unlearning," ACM International Symposium on Theory, Algorithmic Foundations, and Protocol Design for Mobile Networks and Mobile Computing (MobiHoc), 2023. (Acceptance rate 21.9%, CCF B)(PDF)
  • N. Ding, L. Gao, and J. Huang, "Joint Participation Incentive and Network Pricing Design for Federated Learning," IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications (INFOCOM), 2023. (Acceptance rate 19.2%, CCF A)(PDF)
  • N. Ding, L. Gao, and J. Huang, "Optimal Pricing Design for Coordinated and Uncoordinated IoT Networks," IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing (TMC), accepted, 2022. (CCF A) (PDF)
  • N. Ding, L. Gao, J. Huang, Xin Li, and Xin Chen, "Optimal Pricing Under Vertical and Horizontal Interaction Structures for IoT Networks," IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications (INFOCOM), 2022. (Acceptance rate 19.9%, CCF A, collaborated with Huawei) (PDF)
  • N. Ding, Z. Fang, L. Duan, and J. Huang, "Optimal Incentive and Load Design for Distributed Coded Machine Learning," IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications (JSAC), vol. 39, no. 7, pp. 2090-2104, Jul. 2021. (CCF A) (PDF)
  • N. Ding, Z. Fang, and J. Huang, "Optimal Contract Design for Efficient Federated Learning With Multi-Dimensional Private Information," IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications (JSAC), vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 186-200, Jan. 2021. (CCF A) (PDF)
  • N. Ding, Z. Fang, L. Duan, and J. Huang, "Incentive Mechanism Design for Distributed Coded Machine Learning," IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications (INFOCOM), 2021. (Acceptance rate 19.9%, CCF A) (PDF)
  • N. Ding, Z. Fang, and J. Huang, "Information Disclosure Game on Sharing Platforms," IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM), 2020. (PDF)
  • N. Ding, Z. Fang, and J. Huang, "Incentive Mechanism Design for Federated Learning with Multi-Dimensional Private Information," International Symposium on Modeling and Optimization in Mobile, Ad Hoc, and Wireless Networks (WiOpt), 2020. (PDF)

Teaching Experience

Co-instructor:

  • Northwestern ELEC ENG 307 Communications Systems

Teaching Assistant:

  • CUHK ENGG2420C Complex Analysis and Differential Equations for Engineers
  • CUHK ENGG2440C Discrete Mathematics for Engineers
  • CUHK IERG3820 Communications Lab

Services

Organizing/Technical Committee:

  • Workshop Chair, IEEE International Symposium on Modeling and Optimization in Mobile, Ad hoc, and Wireless Networks (WiOpt), 2023
  • Technical Program Committee, The Fourteenth International Conference on Advanced Communications and Computation (INFOCOMP), 2024
  • Program Committee, The 44th IEEE International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems (ICDCS), Track on Federated Learning, Analytics, and Deployment, 2024
  • Program Committee, The Inaugural workshop on Tech for Good: Economic and Computational Advances in Distributed Systems (Tech4Good), 2024
  • Session Chair, IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications (INFOCOM), 2024

Technical Review:

  • IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications (JSAC)
  • IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing (TMC)
  • IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications (TWC)
  • IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking (ToN)
  • IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering (TNSE)
  • IEEE Internet of Things Journal (IoT-J)
  • IEEE Systems Journal (ISJ)
  • IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems (TCSS)
  • IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications (INFOCOM)
  • IEEE International Symposium on Modeling and Optimization in Mobile, Ad hoc, and Wireless Networks (WiOpt)
  • IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC)
  • IEEE Network
  • IEEE Communications Magazine
  • IEEE China Communications
  • Peer-to-Peer Networking and Applications
  • Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS)
  • IEEE International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems (ICDCS)
  • IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory (ISIT)

Awards and Honors

  • Reaching Out Award, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2022
  • Student Travel Grant, IEEE INFOCOM, 2022
  • Postgraduate Scholarship, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2018-2022
  • Student Travel Grant, IEEE INFOCOM, 2021
  • Best Research Contributor Award, NCEL Workshop, 2021
  • Principal Scholarship, Southeast University, 2017
  • Enterprise Scholarship, Southeast University, 2017
  • Honorable Mention (Second Prize) of the Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (ICM), COMAP, 2017
  • Third Prize of National College Student Information Security Contest, 2017
  • First Prize in Jiangsu Division of China Undergraduate Mathematical Contest in Modeling, 2016
  • National Scholarship, Ministry of Education of China, 2016