Dear Professor William,
I was so glad when I received your invitation to work as your assistant in your new program, which is my long-cherished dream. However, it is a great pity that I have to work for my graduate paper and I can hardly spare time to do other work.
I am sorry to tell you about this, and please accept my heartfelt apology, I really hope it will not affect your work plan. If you still need a capable assistant, I would like to introduce Zhang Wei, one of my roommates, as an ideal candidate to you. As far as I know, his qualifications can meet your requirements. Four years of university study equips him with relevant knowledge about data processing and he's got a good command of English, which fits him perfectly for the job.
Once again, please accept my apology for any inconveniences that may occur. I am looking forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely,
Li Ming