Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal profile
Dr. Thomas Selig is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computing, School of Advanced Technology (SAT), at Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), Suzhou, China. He is currently the Chair of SAT's School Learning and Teaching Committee (SLTC), and Programme Director of the BEng Computer Science and Technology programme. He received his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France, in December 2014. He followed this with postdoctoral research positions at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK from 2015 to 2018, and at the University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland, from 2018 to 2019. His research interests are in the fields of enumerative and bijective combinatorics, with some interactions with theoretical computer science and discrete probability theory. He is particularly interested in discrete time-based dynamical systems such as sandpile models and parking functions. He is also interested in applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education, such as the use of AI for feedback, or AI chatbots for learning. Thomas is currently looking for PhD students. If you are interested in any of the topics mentioned above, or more generally in doing a PhD in an area aligned with or closely related to his research interests, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Research interests
- Parking functions and their variations.
- Combinatorial aspects of Abelian and stochastic sandpile models.
- Real-world applications of sandpile models and parking functions.
- AI in education.
Experience
2025-present: Associate Professor, Department of Computing, School of Advanced Technology, Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China.
2020-2024: Assistant Professor, Department of Computing, School of Advanced Technology, Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China.
2019-2020: Lecturer, Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China.
2018-2019: Research Fellow, Mathematics Department, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
2015-2018: Research Associate, Computer and Information Sciences Department, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
2015: Teaching and Research Assistant, Mathematics Department, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.
2011-2014: PhD Student and Teaching Assistant, Computer Science Department, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.
2007-2011: Student, Department of Mathematics and Applications, École Normale Supérieure de Paris, Paris, France.
Teaching
2022-2025: Computer Programming for Financial Mathematics, Module Leader, BSc Financial Mathematics, Year 3, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Module Leader.
2019-2025: Object Oriented Programming, Module Leader, MSc and MRes (various), Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Module Leader
2019-2021: Java Programming for Financial Mathematics, Module Leader, BSc Financial Mathematics, Year 3, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Module Leader.
2016-2017: Algorithms and Complexity, BSc in Computer Science, University of Strathclyde, Year 2. co-Module Leader.
2015: C2I - Internet and Computing Certificate, BSc (various), University of Bordeaux. Module Leader.
2015: Probability Theory. BSc in Mathematics, University of Bordeaux, Year 0 (pre-degree). Module Leader.
2015: Inferential statistics. BSc in Economics, University of Bordeaux, Year 2. Teaching Assistant.
2013-2014: Databases. BSc in Computer Science, University of Bordeaux, Year 3. Teaching Assistant.
2012-2013: Language, Automata and Grammars, BSc in Computer Science, University of Bordeaux, Year 3. Teaching Assistant.
2012-2013 and 2013-2014: Statistics for Computer Science. BSc in Computer Science, University of Bordeaux, Year 3. Teaching Assistant.
2011-2012: Algorithms and Data Structures. BSc in Computer Science, University of Bordeaux, Year 2. Teaching Assistant.
2021-present: CPT206 Computer Programming for Financial Mathematics.
2020-present: CPT 403 Object Oriented Programming.
2019-2021: CPT206 (ex-CSE212) Java Programming for Financial Mathematics.
Awards and honours
2024 Outstanding individual in Education and Teaching in Suzhou (2024年度苏州市教育教学工作表现突出个人), Suzhou City Education Bureau, Suzhou, China.
December 2024: Third Prize, "XipuAI in Education" Innovation Competition 2024, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University Learning Mall.
Joint work with Ling Wang, EDU.
June 2024: Invited Visiting Researcher, Tianyuan Mathematical Center in Southeast China, Xiamen University.
June 2024: Invited Visiting Researcher, School of Science, Jimei University, China.
June 2024: Invited Visiting Researcher, Department of Mathematics, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, China.
2023-2024: University Teaching Excellence award, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.
May 2023, Invited Visiting Researcher, Department of Mathematics, Zhejiang Normal University, China.
2022-2023: Student-voted best teacher award, Year 3 modules, School of Advanced Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.
2022 Science and Education Backbone Talents Program (2022 年度科教骨干人才项目), Suzhou Dushu Lake Science and Education Committee, Suzhou, China.
September 2017, Invited Visiting Researcher, Center for Applied Mathematics, Tianjin University, China.
Related documents
Education/Academic qualification
2022: PGCert programme in Teaching and Supporting Learning in Higher Education, XJTLU.
2014: PhD in Computer Science, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.
2010: MSc in Mathematics - Probability and Statistics, University Paris 11, Paris, France.
2008: BSc in Mathematics, University Paris 7, Paris, France.
Research areas
- Parking functions
- Sandpile models
- AI in education (AIED)
Person Types
- Staff
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
-
CodeQuest: Crafting Code with AI Visualizer and Educational Game
Wang, Y. (PI), Zhang, Q. (CoI), Selig, T. (CoI) & Liu, D. (CoI)
1/09/24 → 31/08/27
Project: Internal Research Project
-
Nurturing Computational Thinking Through Project-Based Learning in High Schools
Zhang, Q. (PI), Purwanto, E. (CoPI) & Selig, T. (PI)
1/03/24 → 30/06/27
Project: Internal Research Project
-
Identification of at-risk students based on learning analytics: a Machine Learning approach
Selig, T. (PI), Purwanto, E. (CoPI) & Zhang, Q. (CoPI)
1/03/24 → 28/02/27
Project: Internal Research Project
-
Implementing Computational Thinking Education in K-12 and Higher Education
Zhang, Q. (PI), Purwanto, E. (CoPI), Selig, T. (CoPI), Li, N. (CoPI), Sun, D. (CoPI), Paracha, S. (CoPI), Xu, S. (CoPI) & Luo, Y. (CoPI)
14/11/23 → 28/08/26
Project: Internal Research Project
-
Towards a combinatorial theory of sandpile models
Selig, T. (PI)
1/01/23 → 31/12/25
Project: Internal Research Project
-
Abelian and stochastic sandpile models on complete bipartite graphs
Selig, T. & Zhu, H., 21 Feb 2025, WALCOM: Algorithms and Computation: 19th International Conference and Workshops on Algorithms and Computation, WALCOM 2025, Proceedings. Nakano, S.-I. & Xiao, M. (eds.). Springer Singapore, p. 326-345 20 p. (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics); vol. 15411 LNCS).Research output: Chapter in Book or Report/Conference proceeding › Conference Proceeding › peer-review
-
A Layered Strategy for Integrating Generative AI into Practice-led Computer Programming Education
Craig, P., Selig, T. & Wang, L., 2025, (Submitted) In: Developing Academic Practice.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
-
Authentic assessment design for computer programming master’s courses: A four-step plan for more meaningful assessment that incorporates AI-assisted evaluation, group discussions and presentations
Selig, T. & Wang, L., 7 Mar 2025, THE Campus.Research output: Other contribution › peer-review
-
Prime graphical parking functions and strongly recurrent configurations of the Abelian sandpile model
Selig, T. & Zhu, H., 1 Jul 2025, 23 p.Research output: Other contribution
Open Access -
Prime graphical parking functions and strongly recurrent configurations of the Abelian sandpile model
Selig, T. & Zhu, H., 2025, Proceedings of the 13th European Conference on Combinatorics, Graph Theory and Applications: EUROCOMB'25.Research output: Chapter in Book or Report/Conference proceeding › Conference Proceeding › peer-review
Activities
-
The 9th International Conference on Algorithms, Computing and Systems (Event)
Thomas Selig (Member)
12 Dec 2025 → 14 Dec 2025Activity: Membership › Membership of committee
-
Prime graphical parking functions
Thomas Selig (Speaker) & Haoyue Zhu (Speaker)
29 Aug 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Presentation at conference/workshop/seminar
-
The 2025 European Conference on Combinatorics, Graph Theory and Applications
Thomas Selig (Participant)
25 Aug 2025 → 29 Aug 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participating in an event e.g. a conference, workshop, …
-
The 8th National University Contest on Intelligent Robotic Innovations
Thomas Selig (Other), Erick Purwanto (Other), Haotian Guo (Participant), Zihan Liang (Participant) & Feixiang Yao (Participant)
4 Jul 2025Activity: Other
-
SparkDialogue: A Multi-Agent Framework for Fostering Dynamic Student Discussion
Selig, T. (Supervisor) & Purwanto, E. (Co-supervisor)
1 Jul 2025 → 31 Aug 2025Activity: Supervision › Completed SURF Project