ChunKit Chan

prof_pic.jpg

I am ChunKit Chan, a Ph.D. student from the Computer Science and Engineering(CSE) department at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), funded by the HKPFS award and supervised by Prof. Yangqiu Song. Previously, I received an MPhil degree in CSE from HKUST in 2021-2023, also supervised by Prof. Yangqiu Song and a Master’s degree in Big Data and Technology from HKUST in 2021. From 2022 to 2024, I worked as a research intern at the NVIDIA AI Technology Center. Now, I work as an Applied Scientist Intern at Amazon in Palo Alto.

Research Interests
Theory of Mind and Mental World Modeling in Large Language Models

Investigating how LLMs can develop an understanding of others’ mental states (Belief, Desire, and Intention), while constructing rich internal representations of subjective mental worlds.

Emergent Reasoning Capabilities in LLMs Through Reinforcement Learning

Exploring how reinforcement learning techniques can enhance reasoning ability (e.g., ToM reasoning). Developing more effective reward mechanisms for training RL-based models.

Multi-Agent Systems with Theory of Mind and Shared Mental Worlds

Designing collaborative AI systems where multiple agents can effectively model each other’s mental state while developing shared mental representations to solve complex problems.

LLM-Based Autonomous Agents and ToM for Real-World Applications

Developing language model-powered agents on real-world complex tasks by modelling human intentions and mental states, and assessing how Theory of Mind capabilities enhance agent/machine performance across diverse real-world scenarios.

Academic Service
  • Area Chair: ACL Rolling Review (2025 - Now), ACL (2025), EMNLP (2025)
  • Conference Reviewer: ACL Rolling Review (2022 - 2024), ACL (2022 - 2024), EMNLP (2022 - 2024), COLING (2024), COLM (2025)
Awards
  • Hong Kong PhD Fellowship (2023 - 2026)
  • EMNLP 2024 Outstanding Reviewers (2024)
  • HKUST RedBird PhD Scholarship (2023)
  • ICMLC 2023 Best Student Paper Awards (2023)
  • Hong Kong Talent Development Scholarship for MSc Programs in the School of Engineering (2020-21 Fall, Winter, Spring)
  • Dean’s List for the School of Engineering (2019/20)