Ximeng Mao

    Ximeng Mao

    PhD @ Mila, University of Montreal


    I am broadly interested in applying machine learning systems to real-world problems. My PhD research focuses on neural interfaces, where I explore bio-signal foundation models for real-time neural decoding as a generalizable and deployable approach. Previously, I have worked on applied problems in neurostimulation and radiotherapy.

I am a PhD candidate in computer science at Mila and University of Montreal, supervised by Dr. Guillaume Lajoie. I am broadly interested in applying machine learning and deep learning methods to problems rooted from neural interfaces, and I aim to leverage both deterministic and stochastic models for generic solutions. My current research direction centers on foundation models for neural decoding, with a focus on joint learning on self-supervised learning and supervised learning. My other interests include meta learning, probabilistic modeling, reinforcement learning and medical image analysis.


I was initially trained in computer engineering, where I worked on localization methods for wireless sensor networks. Prior to my current studies, I had been a software developer at Oracle R&D (Beijing).

  • 2025    POSSM paper accepted at NeurIPS 2025!
    2024    Meta Learning paper for Neurostimulation published at Journal of Neural Engineering!
    2023    POYO paper accepted at NeurIPS 2023!
    2023    TEB paper accepted at TMLR!
    2023    Started my PhD at Mila & University of Montreal, supervised by Dr. Guillaume Lajoie
    2020    Completed my Master at McGill University, supervised by Dr. Joelle Pineau and Dr. Shrin A. Enger
  •   Ph.D. in Computer Science, Mila & Univ. of Montreal, 2020-present
  •   M.S. in Computer Science, McGill Univ., 2020
  •   M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Tech, 2013
  •   M.S. in Control Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ., 2013
  •   B.S. in Automation, Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ., 2010
  •   Research Intern @ BIOS Health, 2021-2022
  •   Research Intern @ Imagia, 2019-2020
  •   Graduate Research Assistant @ McGill University Health Center, 2018-2020
  •   Software Developer @ Oracle Beijing, 2014-2016
  • Main Programming Language: Python.
  • ML frameworks: PyTorch, PyLightning.
  • Favorite tools: Weights & Biases, Git, Latex.
  • I have served as a reviewer for notable conferences and journals:
  • International Conference on Learning Representations, ICLR 2026
  • Neural Information Processing Systems, NeurIPS, Foundation Models for the Brain and Body Workshop 2025
  • Montreal AI Symposium 2022
  • Radiotherapy and Oncology
  • Physica Medica: European Journal of Medical Physics
  • Sub-reviewer for NeurIPS, 2024