Qinyuan Wu

I am a fourth-year PhD student at the CS@Max Planck and the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems (MPI-SWS), advised by Krishna Gummadi and Muhammad Bilal Zafar (Ruhr University Bochum). I am also fortunate to closely collaborate with and receive guidance from Abhilasha Ravichander (MPI-SWS), Evimaria Terzi (Boston University), Mariya Toneva (MPI-SWS). Before I joined MPI-SWS, I got my bachelor’s degree in mathematics-physics from University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC).

My research investigates how AI models internalize, structure, and utilize knowledge to execute reliable actions. Specifically, I study how internal parametric knowledge interacts with dynamic runtime environments—such as context windows, memory structures, and external tools—to bridge the gap between descriptive model behavior and normative frameworks. More broadly, I aim to understand and enhance the end-to-end loop of how intelligent systems learn, remember, retrieve, and act, advancing toward more trustworthy, interpretable, and human-centered AI.

I also actively collaborate on interdisciplinary projects covering:

• Privacy & Security in AI: Balancing data protection with system utility and operational efficiency.

• Neuroscience-Inspired Modeling: Exploring parallels between human memory architectures and artificial cognition.