Linrui Ma
MIT Student • ML/AI Researcher • IChO Gold Medalist
I'm curious about the chemistry of intelligence, and the intelligence behind chemistry.
Undergraduate at MIT double majoring in AI & Decision Making and Chemistry (GPA: 5.0/5.0). My work spans deep learning for biology, computer vision, and AI for science: from cellular perturbation modeling to pixel-space image editing. IChO gold medalist and captain of China's national team.
About Me
I'm Linrui Ma, an undergraduate at MIT pursuing a double major in Artificial Intelligence & Decision Making and Chemistry (GPA: 5.0/5.0). My interests sit at the intersection of AI and the sciences: From cutting-edge deep learning models and the mechanisms and principles behind them, to the applications of machine learning algorithms and architectures in chemical and biological sciences.
With a genuine passion for machine learning research, I have been conducting research on a variety of topics, including computer vision and AI for science. I am currently working under the supervision of Prof. Kaiming He on adapting the Just Image Transformers (JiT) framework for text-guided image editing directly in pixel space. I have also worked with Prof. Regina Barzilay at MIT CSAIL on salience-regularized optimal transport cell state change prediction, and recently on probabilistic models for selective protein binder design.
Before MIT, I completed my freshman year at Tsinghua University's Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences (IIIS, Yao Class), studying computer science and AI. I was the captain of China's team and gold medalist (12th globally, 2nd in theory) at the 56th International Chemistry Olympiad, and a national gold medalist (2nd place) at the 37th Chinese Chemistry Olympiad.
Research Interests & Skills
Research Interests
Technical Skills
Featured Projects
SAPER: Structure-Aware Protein Function Framework
Novel protein function annotation framework combining 3D structural information with sequence-based methods, achieving 114% performance improvement on Meta-BLEU-2.
View on GitHubMultilingual Mathematical Reasoning in Neural Networks
Research on how representation choice affects neural reasoning efficiency in Transformers, achieving 5-10% token efficiency gains across GSM8K and MMATH benchmarks.
View on GitHubLabotex: AI-Powered Lab Report Generator
Intelligent agent that streamlines LaTeX lab report generation from raw data by integrating VLMs and chat models to convert experiment PDFs and CSV datasets into structured scientific reports.
View on GitHubExperience & Education
Undergraduate Researcher
MIT — Prof. Kaiming He's Group
Cambridge, MA • Feb 2026 - Present
- ▸Adapting the "Just Image Transformers" (JiT) framework for text-guided image editing in raw pixel space
- ▸Integrating a pre-trained T5 encoder with cross-attention applied directly to pixel-space tokens
- ▸Bypassing latent bottlenecks (VAEs) to achieve high-fidelity editing that preserves fine-grained image details
- ▸Collaboratively designing experiments, fine-tuning the model, and evaluating outputs against relevant baselines
Undergraduate Researcher
MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL)
Cambridge, MA • Sep 2025 - Present
- ▸Collaborating with Ph.D. candidates under Prof. Regina Barzilay's supervision
- ▸Designing deep learning models to predict cell state changes in response to cellular perturbations
- ▸Developing probabilistic models for selective protein binder design
- ▸Applying AI techniques to advance medical and biological understanding
B.E. in AI & Decision Making + B.S. in Chemistry (Double Major)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Cambridge, MA • Aug 2025 - Present
- ▸GPA: 5.0/5.0
- ▸Core Courses: Deep Learning; Algorithms; AI & Decision Making in Medicine; Biological Chemistry
- ▸Pursuing interdisciplinary education at the intersection of AI and chemistry
Undergraduate Student - Yao Class
Tsinghua University
Beijing, China • Aug 2024 - Jun 2025
- ▸GPA: 3.87/4.00
- ▸Majoring in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in prestigious Yao Class
- ▸Core Courses: Linear Algebra, C/C++ Programming, AI Principles & Techniques, Mathematics for CS & AI, Computer Systems, Introduction to LLM Applications
Key Awards & Achievements
First place in the MIT Informatics Tournament 2025-26 Winter Contest (Beginner's Round).
Top 1%, First Class Scholarship for Freshmen.
12th place globally, 2nd in theory. Captain of China's team.
2nd place nationally. Student representative speaker at closing ceremony.
Contact
I'm always willing to chat and discuss about both academic and non-academic topics.
Feel free to reach out!