ProfileSchool of Computer Science and Technology, Harbin Engineering University
📧 Email: cscaoyue@hrbeu.edu.cn
🏫 Address: No. 145 Nantong Street, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150001, China
Dr. Yue Cao is currently a Tenure-Track Associate Professor and Master's Supervisor at the School of Computer Science and Technology, Harbin Engineering University, and a recipient of the Provincial Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation project funding. He received his Ph.D. from the School of Computing, Harbin Institute of Technology in December 2024, under the supervision of Prof. Wangmeng Zuo. His research interests include computer vision, image restoration, computational photography, and AI-ISP. He has published more than 10 papers at top international conferences and journals in computer vision, including CVPR, ECCV, and AAAI.
Computer Vision
Image Restoration
Computational Photography
AI-ISP (AI-based Image Signal Processing)
Low-Light Imaging
Noise Modeling
[12] Cao Yue, Li Sizhao, Zhang Liguo. "Robust Noise Modeling for Spike Camera via Time-Interval Quantification and Spike-DSLR Multimodal Dataset in Low-Light Imaging". AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI, CCF A), 2026
[11] Cao Yue, Liu Ming, Liu Shuai, Wang Xiaotao, Lei Lei, Zuo Wangmeng. "Physics-Guided ISO-Dependent Sensor Noise Modeling for Extreme Low-Light Photography". IEEE/CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR, CCF A), 2023
[10] Cao Yue, Wan Zhaolin, Ren Dongwei, Yan Zifei, Zuo Wangmeng. "Incorporating Semi-Supervised and Positive-Unlabeled Learning for Boosting Full Reference Image Quality Assessment". IEEE/CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR, CCF A), 2022
[9] Wu Xiaohe, Liu Ming, Cao Yue, Ren Dongwei, Zuo Wangmeng. "Unpaired Learning of Deep Image Denoising". European Conference on Computer Vision (ECCV, CCF B), 2020
[6] Cao Yue, He Jinhe, Zhang Yu, Lu Gang, Liu Shigang, Wu Xiaojun. "DnM3Net: Multi-Scale & Multi-Level Shuffle-CNN Via Multi-Level Attention for Image Denoising". IEEE International Conferences on Ubiquitous Computing & Communications (IUCC, EI), 2019
[5] Du Jiazhi, Ren Dongwei, Cao Yue, Zuo Wangmeng. "In-training Restoration Models Matter: Data Augmentation for Degraded-reference Image Quality Assessment". ACM Multimedia (ACM MM) Workshop, CCF A Workshop, 2022
[4] Abdelhamed Abdelrahman et al. (incl. Cao Yue). "NTIRE 2020 Challenge on Real Image Denoising: Dataset, Methods and Results". IEEE/CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) Workshops, CCF A Workshop, 2020
[2] Yao Shunyu, Cao Yue, Zhang Yabo, Zuo Wangmeng. "Misalignment Insensitive Perceptual Metric for Full Reference Image Quality Assessment". Chinese Conference on Pattern Recognition and Computer Vision (PRCV, CCF C), 2023
[8] Cao Yue, Wu Xiaohe, Qi Shuran, Liu Xiao, Wu Zhongqin, Zuo Wangmeng. "Pseudo-ISP: Learning Pseudo In-camera Signal Processing Pipeline from A Color Image Denoiser". Neurocomputing, CCF C, IF: 5.394, 2024
[7] Cao Yue, Liu Shigang, Peng Yali, Li Jun. "DenseUNet: Densely Connected UNet for Electron Microscopy Image Segmentation". IET Image Processing, CCF C, IF: 2.064, 2020
[3] Liu Pengju, Zhang Hongzhi, Cao Yue, Liu Shigang, Ren Dongwei, Zuo Wangmeng. "Learning Cascaded Convolutional Networks for Blind Single Image Super-Resolution". Neurocomputing, CCF C, IF: 5.394, 2020
[1] Peng Yali, Cao Yue, Liu Shigang, Yang Jian, Zuo Wangmeng. "Progressive Training of Multi-level Wavelet Residual Networks for Image Denoising". arXiv preprint arXiv:2020.12422, 2020
🏆 [2] Winner Award, Track 1 rawRGB — NTIRE 2020 Challenge on Real Image Denoising, New Trends in Image Restoration and Enhancement Workshop, CVPR 2020. International Academic Award, 2020.
Recipients: Yue Cao, Zhilu Zhang, Wangmeng Zuo
🥉 [1] 3rd Place Award, Track 2 sRGB — NTIRE 2020 Challenge on Real Image Denoising, New Trends in Image Restoration and Enhancement Workshop, CVPR 2020. International Academic Award, 2020.
Recipients: Yue Cao, Zhilu Zhang, Wangmeng Zuo
[5] 2025 Heilongjiang Province "Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation of the New Era" Funding Project — "Self-Supervised Imaging Noise Modeling and Multimodal Denoising for Cold-Region Aquatic Environment Sensing", Funding: ¥50,000, 2025, Principal Investigator
[4] Heilongjiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation — Youth Fund Project, "Self-Supervised Imaging Noise Modeling and Multimodal Denoising for South China Sea Marine Environment Sensing", Project No.: 626QN0683, Funding: ¥60,000, Duration: 2026-03-01 to 2029-02-28, Principal Investigator
[3] National Natural Science Foundation of China — Youth Fund (Category C), "Research on Adaptive Imaging Noise Modeling for Non-Uniform Illumination Scenes", Project No.: 62502112, Funding: ¥300,000, 2025, Principal Investigator
[2] Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities — "Original Exploration Special Program · Quantum Technology Theme", "Research on Fault-Tolerant Technology for NISQ Devices Oriented to Quantum Circuit Cutting", Project No.: 3072025YC0602, Funding: ¥100,000, 2025, Principal Investigator
[1] National Key Research Project (JKW), 2025, Major Participant (Ranked 2nd)
Member, Youth Working Committee, Heilongjiang Provincial Artificial Intelligence Society
Journal Reviewer: T-PAMI, T-IP, PR, Journal of Image and Graphics, Journal of Harbin Institute of Technology, etc.
Conference Reviewer: CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, AAAI, ACM MM, ICML
RAIM (Restore Any Image Model) — Our goal is to be Stargazers: not only to earn stars on GitHub, but to become observers who can capture starlight in dark scenes. Just as restoring images in low-light conditions demands relentless effort, we aspire to bring hidden details back to light through continuous exploration.
⚠️ A limited number of spots remain for enrollment in September 2027. Students with genuine research aspirations are encouraged to reach out soon.
We are looking for students who:
📚 Are Research-Driven
Aspire to publish CCF-A papers during your time in the group
Have a strong interest in image restoration, low-level vision, and AI imaging
Believe in the value of patient, dedicated scholarship — and in the moment when hard work pays off
🤝 Communicate and Collaborate Well
Are willing to maintain regular communication with weekly or biweekly meetings
Proactively raise issues rather than working in isolation
Believe in mutual growth between advisor and student
💡 Think Independently
Form your own opinions rather than simply following the crowd
Are willing to question assumptions, explore boldly, and innovate
🔬 Stay Grounded and Diligent
Can focus on reading papers and studying algorithms
Can commit to writing code and running experiments
Are comfortable with both rigorous academic presentations and a good laugh
⚠️ Joining the group means genuine commitment to research. Please read the following carefully before reaching out.
Requirements:
✅ Academic ranking in the top 15% of your major
✅ Ability to dedicate consistent weekly time to research activities
✅ Research exploration as the primary goal — not résumé-building or award-hunting
Important Note:
Our group invests real time and resources into every student. If your spare time is primarily occupied by tutoring, part-time jobs, or competitions unrelated to research, you will not be able to engage meaningfully in the group's work, and we would advise against applying. We are looking for students who are genuinely willing to sit down, read papers, run code, and think deeply about problems. Even if your current background is limited, as long as you have the passion and commitment, we welcome a conversation.
What You Will Gain:
Firsthand experience with the real research process and development of academic thinking
Guidance on academic writing and paper submission
Opportunity to participate in high-level academic competitions (e.g., NTIRE)
✨ Engage seriously in every discussion and provide thoughtful guidance on every project
✨ Respect your ideas and encourage your exploration
✨ Provide resource support and create space for growth
✨ No "996" grind culture — research should be both productive and sustainable
Research, like character, requires vision to see the frontier of the field; planning to know where you are headed; perspective to look beyond short-term gains and losses; resilience to endure experimental setbacks; and ambition to aim for the highest goals.
📧 Email: cscaoyue@hrbeu.edu.cn
Let us explore together across the vast universe of computer vision. 🌟
