CCDS Alumna Zhao Ruochen Honoured Among Singapore’s 100 Women in Tech 2025
When Zhao Ruochen learnt she had been named to the SG100 Women in Tech 2025 list, she was “absolutely thrilled.” For the CCDS alumna, now a Natural Language Processing (NLP) Research Engineer at Apple, the honour is both a recognition of her work and her commitment to building technology that people can trust.
Ruochen is recognised for advancing responsible AL through research on large language models (LLMs). A PhD graduate from CCDS and recipient of the prestigious AISG PhD scholarship, she has published widely in top-tier venues. Among her contributions are:
Auto-Arena, the first fully automated evaluation framework for LLMs that mimics academic peer review and decision-making. This open-source platform has been patented and gained strong interest from leading technology companies.
Chain of Knowledge, a novel approach for improving LLM interpretability and factual reasoning.
Her collaborations extend beyond academia into real-world applications, from working with the World Health Organisation to partnering with DAMO Academy on advancing AI for the public good. Today, at Apple, she continues to push the boundaries of next-generation AI systems.
“AI is everywhere now, and people have valid concerns about its risks,” Ruochen explained. “A huge part of why people struggle to trust AI is because we cannot see inside its ‘brain’ – it is essentially a black box. The key to building trust lies in explainability. We need to understand how these systems work and why they make the decisions they do.”
Ruochen credits CCDS as formative in her journey. “My PhD journey was my first real dive into research, and it completely shaped who I am today. CCDS created this perfect bubble for me to immerse myself in my work, surrounded by peers and mentors who constantly inspired me.”
Looking ahead, Ruochen hopes to see more students step into the AI frontier without fear. “Do not let the competition intimidate you. The possibilities are endless, and we need passionate, dedicated researchers and practitioners to help us get there.”
Her recognition in the SG100 Women in Tech 2025 list is both a personal milestone and a testament to the global impact CCDS alumni are making in advancing responsible AI.
