Zijiang Yan | York University

About Me

I am a MASc student specializing in machine learning and GAI-driven wireless communication. I received my B.Sc. in Computer Science and Statistics from York University, where I pursue my master degree under the supervision of Prof. Hina Tabassum and Prof. Ping Wang.

Currently, my work explores resource-aware communication strategies, quantum-enhanced user association, diffusion models, and hybrid large language model (LLM)-assisted decision-making for joint autonomous driving and communication optimization.

Research Interests

AI-driven resource allocation and joint optimization in wireless networks
Vehicular, UAV, and autonomous communication systems
Multi-objective reinforcement learning, generative AI, and quantum optimization for B5G/6G networks

Education

M.A.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Jan. 2026 – Dec. 2027
York University, Toronto, Canada
B.Sc. (Honours), Double Major in Computer Science & Statistics, Sept. 2016 – Aug. 2021
York University, Toronto, Canada

Experiences

DevOps Engineer II, Scotiabank — Toronto, Canada (Apr. 2026 – Present)
- Designed and operated scalable cloud and hybrid (on-prem + GCP) infrastructure supporting enterprise data platforms with 100+ integrated systems.
- Built and standardized CI/CD pipelines and Infrastructure-as-Code using Terraform and Ansible, improving deployment consistency and environment reproducibility.
- Managed Kubernetes (GKE) clusters and containerized workloads (Docker, Helm) across development and production environments.
- Implemented observability and reliability practices using Prometheus, Grafana, and ELK, enabling SLI/SLO-driven monitoring and proactive incident response.
Cloud and DevOps Engineer, Bell Media — Toronto, Canada (Oct. 2021 – Jul. 2025)
- Owned and optimized Jenkins/GitLab CI/CD platforms on AWS, improving build efficiency by 27% through parallelization and caching.
- Automated infrastructure and configuration management using Terraform and Ansible, strengthening platform reliability and scalability.
- Led cross-team initiatives (Lighthouse, CRNA DNS, Satellite migration) to improve observability, network robustness, and deployment consistency.
- Supported production systems with incident response, root-cause analysis, and continuous reliability improvements.
Machine Learning Researcher, York University — Toronto, Canada (Mar. 2021 – Present)
- Designed learning-based frameworks for joint optimization of wireless communication and autonomous driving.
- Developed handover-aware vehicular and UAV network models, including quantum-enhanced user association methods.
- Built simulation environments integrating multi-agent communication and control, enabling reproducible experimentation.
Software Developer Intern, Bell Canada — Toronto, Canada (May 2021 – Aug. 2021)
- Developed AWS-based data pipelines and machine learning models for customer analytics, including churn and lifetime value prediction.
- Delivered end-to-end analytical tools supporting data-driven marketing decisions.

Publications

* denotes co-first author

Preprints

Intelligent Multi-UAV Navigation in ITNTNs: A Hierarchical LLM Approach

Zijiang Yan, Hao Zhou, Wael Jaafar, Jianhua Pei, Ping Wang, Halim Yanikomeroglu, Hina Tabassum

Under review, May. 2026.

Project Page

Hierarchical LLM-Driven Control for HAPS-Assisted UAV Networks: Joint Optimization of Flight and Connectivity

Zijiang Yan, Hao Zhou, Wael Jaafar, Jianhua Pei, Ping Wang, Halim Yanikomeroglu, Hina Tabassum

arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.11509, Apr. 2026.

PDF Project Page

Concept Drift-Aware Load Forecasting for IoT Energy Systems Leveraging TimesNet-Based Two-Layer Framework

Yixiang Huang, Zijiang Yan, Jianhua Pei, Jinfu Chen

Under review, Mar. 2026.

EMFusion: An Uncertainty-Aware Conditional Diffusion Framework for Frequency-Selective EMF Forecasting in Wireless Networks

Zijiang Yan*, Yixiang Huang*, Jianhua Pei, Hina Tabassum, Luca Chiaraviglio

arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.15067, Dec. 2025.

PDF Project Page

Journal Papers

WCM

Semantic-Aware Adaptive Video Streaming Using Latent Diffusion Models for Wireless Networks

Zijiang Yan*, Jianhua Pei*, Hongda Wu, Hina Tabassum, Ping Wang

IEEE Wireless Communications (WCM), Jul. 2025.

PDF IEEE

TVT

Generalized Multi-Objective Reinforcement Learning with Envelope Updates in URLLC-enabled Vehicular Networks

Zijiang Yan, Hina Tabassum

IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology (TVT), Jun. 2025.

PDF Project Page Poster Video IEEE

WCL

Hybrid LLM-DDQN based Joint Optimization of V2I Communication and Autonomous Driving

Zijiang Yan, Hao Zhou, Hina Tabassum, Xue Liu

IEEE Wireless Communications Letters (WCL), Feb. 2025.

PDF Supplementary Materials IEEE

Conference Papers

ICML Workshop

Hierarchical and Collaborative LLM-Based Control for Multi-UAV Motion and Communication in Integrated Terrestrial and Non-Terrestrial Networks

Zijiang Yan*, Hao Zhou*, Jianhua Pei, Hina Tabassum

ICML 2025 Workshop on Machine Learning for Wireless Communication and Networks (ML4Wireless), Jul. 2025.

PDF Project Page

ICC

CVaR-Based Variational Quantum Optimization for User Association in Handoff-Aware Vehicular Networks

Zijiang Yan, Hao Zhou, Jianhua Pei, Aryan Kaushik, Hina Tabassum, Ping Wang

IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC), Jun. 2025.

PDF IEEE

INFOCOM Poster

Optimizing Vehicular Networks with Variational Quantum Circuits-based Reinforcement Learning

Zijiang Yan, Ramsundar Tanikella, Hina Tabassum

IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications (INFOCOM), May 2024.

PDF Poster IEEE

GLOBECOM

Multi-UAV Speed Control with Collision Avoidance and Handover-Aware Cell Association - DRL with Action Branching

Zijiang Yan, Wael Jaafar, Bassant Selim, Hina Tabassum

IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM), Dec. 2023.

PDF Project Page IEEE

GLOBECOM

Reinforcement Learning for Joint V2I Network Selection and Autonomous Driving Policies

Zijiang Yan, Hina Tabassum

IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM), Dec. 2022.

PDF Project Page IEEE

Professional Activities

Conference Session Chair: ICC’25, GLOBECOM’23
Technical Program Reviewer: ICC, GLOBECOM, WCNC, VTC, DySPAN
Journal Reviewer: TMC, TWC, TCOM, TCCN, TNSE, TNSM, OJ-COMS, COMML, WCM, IOTM, M-COMSTD.

Awards

Student Innovation Competition on Sustainable Space Communications - 3rd Place, 2025
11th China Youth Creative Competition (Science and Technology Track) - Silver Award, 2024 [Feature News Article]
Bell Geekfest Best Presentation, Bell Canada, 2023, 2025
Lassonde Undergraduate Research Award (LURA), York University, 2021
York University International Award of Merit, York University, 2021
Dean’s List, Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, 2018