About Me


I am Ben-Zheng Li (李本正), an Assistant Professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at Central China Normal University (CCNU), Wuhan, China. I received my Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) in 2025, advised by Prof. Xi-Le Zhao. My research focuses on developing tensor-based models and efficient algorithms for high-dimensional data processing, with particular interests in low-rank tensor representations, transform-based tensor computation, and data-driven inverse problems. In practice, the data are often multidimensional signals such as images, videos, hyperspectral images, traffic data, and other spatiotemporal observations. My current research interests include the following directions:

  • Transform-based tensor representations: This direction studies how to represent multidimensional data through suitable algebraic transforms so that correlations across different modes become low-rank, sparse, or otherwise structured. The goal is to build flexible tensor models that are both expressive and computationally tractable.

  • High-dimensional data recovery and inverse problems: This direction concerns recovering images, videos, hyperspectral images, and other multidimensional signals from incomplete, noisy, or degraded observations. I focus on model-driven regularization and optimization algorithms that exploit low-rank, nonlocal, and transform-induced structures.

  • Spatiotemporal data modeling and applications: This direction studies traffic data and other spatiotemporal systems whose observations are naturally organized over space, time, and additional features. The goal is to use topology, dynamics, and low-rank correlations to improve imputation, forecasting, and interpretation.

  • Portfolio optimization (ongoing): I am currently exploring portfolio optimization, where the central problem is to allocate assets under uncertainty while balancing return, risk, and practical constraints. I am interested in whether matrix/tensor models and robust optimization can better capture cross-asset, temporal, and market-regime structures in financial data.


Experiences

  • 03/2026-present: Central China Normal University (CCNU); Assistant Professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics

  • 09/2022-12/2025: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC); PhD Student in Applied Mathematics (Supervisor: Prof. Xi-Le Zhao)

  • 11/2024-10/2025: National University of Singapore (NUS); Visiting PhD Student in Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science (Supervisor: Prof. Delin Chu)

  • 09/2019-06/2022: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC); Master Student in Applied Mathematics (Supervisor: Prof. Xi-Le Zhao)

  • 09/2015-06/2019: East China University of Technology (ECUT); Bachelor student in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics (Supervisor: Prof. Guang Zeng)


News


(For the full list of news please check the News tab.)

  • April 20: Our paper "Tensor Representations in Light of Transforms: An Overview and Perspectives" (authors: Ben-Zheng Li, Chuan Wang, Yu-Bang Zheng, Sheng Liu, Yisi Luo, Tai-Xiang Jiang, and Xi-Le Zhao) is now under review at Science China Technological Sciences (SCTS). The adapted datasets and Matlab implementation are available at https://github.com/benzhengli/Transform-Based-Representation-Zoo

  • March 2026: I started an assistant professor position at the Central China Normal University (CCNU), China.

  • November 2025: Our paper "Importance-Aware Nonlocal Tensor Nuclear Norm for High-Dimensional Image Recovery" (authors: Ben-Zheng Li, Xi-Le Zhao, Hao Zhang, Delin Chu) was accepted to Inverse Problems (IP).

  • November 2025: I successfully passed my PhD defense today. It has been a great milestone in my academic journey. My sincere thanks go to my supervisor Prof. Xi-Le Zhao for his continuous guidance and invaluable support throughout the preparation of the defense materials.

  • June 2025: Our paper "Dictionary-Based Block Term Decomposition for Third-Order Tensors" (authors: Ben-Zheng Li, Xi-Le Zhao, Hao Zhang, Delin Chu) was accepted to SIAM Journal on Imaging Sciences (SIIMS).

  • Jan 2025: I am delighted to be awarded the Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program – Doctoral Student Special Plan (中国科协青年人才托举工程博士生专项) by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), and was supported by the China Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (CSIAM).

  • July 2024: I am delighted to be awarded the scholarship under the China Scholarship Council (CSC). I will pursue my studies as a Visiting PhD student (advised by Prof. Delin Chu) in the Department of Mathematics at the National University of Singapore (NUS).


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