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👋 I am an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science Department at Boise State University, directing the Machine Intelligence and Data (MIND) Lab. Previously, I was a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. I earned my PhD in Computer and Information Science and Engineering from Syracuse University. I was recognized as a Rising Star in EECS by MIT (2024) and in Data Science by UCSD, UChicago, and Stanford (2024).

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CALL FOR PAPERS - The special issue “Explainable AI and Network Science for Social Systems and Collective Intelligence” in Information Processing & Management (impact factor: 6.9) is now accepting submissions (deadline: March 31, 2027). More details are available here.

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OPEN POSITIONS - My lab offers fully funded PhD positions and welcome students at all levels. If you're interested in working with me, please feel free to email me with your CV/resume and transcript.

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(Due to the volume of messages and my availability, I’m unable to respond to every email (apologies!). If you don’t hear back, please don’t take it as a reflection of your abilities and potential—it often comes down to timing or alignment.)

My research aims to empower people through AI and data. It focuses on developing methods that integrate machine learning, data science, and human-computer interaction to (1) extract actionable insights from complex data, (2) autonomously tackle challenging tasks, (3) remain technically trustworthy and socially intelligent for diverse users, and (4) ultimately create real-world societal impact.

Current interests include (but are not limited to):

Trustworthy AI Generation (e.g., ensuring that AI-generated content is factually accurate and safe).
Human-Centered LLMs (e.g., building personalized, socially intelligent large language models that support users across diverse social contexts).
LLM Agents (e.g., advancing the reasoning and memory capabilities of large language models).
LLMs for Social Simulation (e.g., using large language models to augment and safeguard human-subject studies by simulating participant perceptions and behavior).
Multimodal Machine Learning (e.g., enhancing the ability of machines to learn and reason from interconnected multimodal data such as text, images, and videos).
Interdisciplinary & Use-inspired AI (e.g., developing AI systems that create real-world impact in health, education, and workplaces).

My work has been published in journals like CSUR (impact factor: 28) and conferences including WWW, CHI, CIKM, WSDM, and ICWSM, with 6000+ citations. It was featured in the ACM Showcase and media outlets such as Psychology Today. As a (Co-)PI, I received funding from the UW Allen School, Population Health Initiative, Garvey Institute for Brain Health Solutions, and Center for an Informed Public. I am a co-chair for the WSDM 2026 Doctoral Consortium, a guest editor for Information Processing & Management, serve on program committees for conferences such as WWW, KDD, AAAI, and SIGIR, and review for journals including TPAMI, TKDE, TOIS, TIFS, and TMM.

I’ve been fortunate to work with self-motivated students and receive support from talented people across academia and industry. As a way of giving back, I dedicate 30 minutes each week to connect with and mentor junior researchers and students at all levels. If you’d like to discuss anything related to your personal or professional growth, please feel free to email me.

News

April 2026

Serve on Program Committee for CIKM 2026

March 2026

Congrats Benjamin Peterson, the PhD student in our lab, on being awarded a travel grant to *AI Unlocked: Empowering Higher Education Through Research and Discovery.*
Serve as Guest Editor for Information Processing & Management (CFP). Thank Tao Wen for leading this effort!
Will attend 2026 Healthy Idaho CTR-D Conference.

February 2026

One paper accepted to Scientific Reports. Thank Haoning Xue for leading this effort!
Will attend WSDM 2026 and chair the Doctoral Consortium track. See you in Boise!

January 2026

Spoke as a panelist at the Idaho Technology Council Spark Series.
One paper accepted for presentation at ICA 2026.
Welcome Benjamin Peterson and Prabal Shrestha to the lab!

December 2025

Gave a talk at the Boise State Social Impacts of Computing Seminar.

November 2025

New paper available on arXiv.
One paper accepted to ICWSM 2026. Thank Bohan Jiang for leading this effort!
Gave a talk at the Boise State ECE Seminar.

October 2025

Our paper @ CSCW 2025 Demonstrations now available online.
Serve as Reviewer for CHI 2026.
Serve on Program Committee for TheWebConf/WWW 2026.
More

Recent Research Highlights

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🐰🐱🐶

My parents and I had a rabbit named Maodu (毛肚). She crossed the rainbow bridge at the age of seven. I now live with a cat, Pumpkin, and a Westie named Funding.