Dr Qiuji Yi

Assistant Professor

School: Computer Science

As for the research, I have published 19 academic papers in multi-dimensional data processing/feature extraction and fusion, data-driven twin modelling and inversion analysis. Nine are top journal articles, including NDT&E international (IF,4.0), IEEE transactions and industrial informatics (IF 11.6). IEEE Internet of Things Journal (IF,10.2), Composite Part B: Engineering (IF,11.0), Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A and IEEE Sensors. One of my papers about proposing an automatic delamination detection framework using Kernal Principal Component is the most cited work in the top journal(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ndteint.2018.12.010).
Besides my track record in the field, I am also developing and delivering an agreed personal research plan and participating in institutional and collaborative research, with industry stakeholders(Rolls-Royce, GKN aerospace and the National Composite Centre), and other University partners(TU Delft, UESTC, Newcastle University)
I am also actively looking for research funding opportunities and have secured quite a few fellowship funding such as EU ITN project NDTonAIR(€3.8m), ERSRC: Techno-Economic framework for Resilient and Sustainable Electrification (EP/R030294/1) £1.0m, EPSRC grant: Certest - Certification for Design - Reshaping the Testing Pyramid, EPSRC(EP/S017038/1) £6.9m.

I am particularly excited about advancing fundamental AI capabilities while addressing pressing engineering needs in Manufacturing and Maintenance, such as AI for nondestructive testing and structural health monitoring. I look forward to exploring these multidisciplinary problems with collaborators from academia and industry.

Email Qiuji

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

As a researcher in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, my long-term goal is to apply effective, robust, and interpretable machine learning methods to characterise, image and inversion of complex structures such as carbon fibre composites. I hope to develop physics-informed machine learning tools. My research focuses on developing AI and ML tools for various instruments, including eddy current testing, thermography and ultrasound. My developed AI tools include clustering, matrix factorisation, supervised learning, support vector machines, and deep learning networks for advancing defect detection techniques.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
CACE: A Framework for Generating Counterfactual Explanations Aligned with Causal Structure via Jointly Learned Conditional Distributions, Sanderson, J., Mao, H., Yi, Q., Woo, W. 30 Apr 2026, In: IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering
Modeling and Experimental Evaluation of Eddy-Current Probes for Prepreg Fiber Waviness Inspection, Mussatayev, M., Yi, Q. 1 Jan 2026, In: NDT and E International
Noise reduction for LDC resonant eddy current using multi-scale dual-parameter reinforced-learning fusion, Lu, X., Peng, F., Wang, Z., Luo, M., Yi, Q., Tian, G. 1 Mar 2026, In: NDT and E International
Thermography-Tomographic Imaging: Integration of Pulse Compression Thermography and Virtual Wave for Physics-Based Learning, Wang, D., Ricci, M., Laureti, S., Lu, X., Zito, R., Sfarra, S., Burgholzer, P., Tian, G., Woo, W., Yi, Q. 29 Apr 2026, In: IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics
Advanced detection and reconstruction of welding Defects in irregular geometries Using Eddy Current Pulsed Thermography, Wang, D., Yi, Q., Liu, Y., Lu, R., Tian, G. 1 Sep 2025, In: NDT and E International
Design and Comparison of Directional Transmit to Differential Receiver Eddy-Current Probe for In-Line Monitoring of Automated Fibre Placement, Mussatayev, M., Yi, Q., Wilcox, P., Hughes, R. 15 Nov 2025, In: Composites Part B: Engineering
Microdefect Detection and Characterization Using Pot-Core Coils and LDC, Lu, X., Wang, Z., Liang, Z., Peng, F., Yi, Q., Tian, G. 15 Apr 2025, In: IEEE Sensors Journal
Principal Component Analysis based Corrosion Characterization under Coating Using Pulse Thermography, Hui, P., Yi, Q., Yang, C., Zhang, L., Li, W., Tian, G. 19 May 2025, 2025 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC), Piscataway, US, IEEE
Directional eddy current probe configuration for in-line detection of out-of-plane wrinkles, Mussatayev, M., Yi, Q., Fitzgerald, M., Maes, V., Wilcox, P., Hughes, R. 1 Jan 2024, In: Composites Part B: Engineering
Imaging and reconstruction of asymmetric wrinkles in carbon fibre composites using high-frequency eddy current and full matrix capture-based ultrasound, Yi, Q., Maes, V., Woo, W., Wilcox, P., Hughes, R. 1 Dec 2024, In: Composites Part B: Engineering