Work With Me

I am always excited to work with motivated students and researchers who share interests in HCI, AI, XR, and interdisciplinary computing research. If you’re interested in joining our group, here are the current opportunities and how to apply:

Note: Due to the large volume of inquiries, I may not be able to reply to every email or provide feedback on every application. However, I will make sure to read your materials, and will get back to you if I believe there is a good fit after the application deadline.

Open Positions

• PhD Students (Fall 2026)
  We are recruiting PhD students to join the lab in Fall 2026. Please apply through the Boston University CS PhD application portal. The application deadline is December 15, 2025. There is no need to email me beforehand unless you have specific questions, but you are welcome to give me a heads-up after you have submitted your application.

• Undergrad / Graduate Research Interns, Visiting Researchers (Flexible Starting Date)
  • BU Students: If you are currently at BU, I encourage you to enroll in my class, CS 599 X1: AI Agents and Human-AI Interaction, which will cover diverse research topics in HCI/AI and provide a foundational understanding of conducting research. You may also email me your CV and transcript, and we can schedule a meeting to discuss opportunities.
  • Non-BU Students: It is occasionally possible to host external interns or visiting researchers, though opportunities are limited. The best way to explore this is by starting a conversation around an idea that aligns with our research vision (e.g., via email or at a conference). If this evolves into a compelling research question, hosting a collaboration or visit becomes much more feasible.
    
    
• Postdocs (Flexible Starting Date)
  I am looking for a Postdoc on novel interaction techniques. If you are interested, please email me your CV directly.

Research Directions

We are exploring several exciting areas and look forward to having you join us. Current and future directions include:

• Interactivity & Fabrication (e.g., TEI 25, CHI 24, CHI 21, UIST 21, SIGGRAPH 19.)
• Human-AI Interaction (e.g.,UIST 25, CHI PLAY 25, UIST 24, ICCV 21).
• AR/VR (e.g., CHI 25, SIGGRAPH Asia 24, UIST 24, SIGGRAPH 18)
• Other Interdisciplinary Topics
  Especially those bridging HCI, AI, and AR/VR.

FAQ

Q: What type of applicants are you looking for?
A: We welcome applicants who are curious, motivated, and interested in exploring new ideas. We especially value those who are excited to learn new things, open to collaboration, and eager to apply their skills to both advancing knowledge and addressing real-world challenges.

Q: What skills or background are you looking for?
A: We do not have strict requirements for background or skills. What we value most is the ability to learn quickly and adapt, especially in leveraging AI as a tool for exploration and discovery. Given the fast pace of change in technology, the capacity to pick up new knowledge and apply it effectively is often more important than specific prior experience.

That said, it is helpful if applicants have experience in at least one of the following areas, or are able to use AI to strengthen these skills:

• Hardware building
• Strong programming/Rapid prototyping (or vibe coding?)
• 3D modeling and 3D printing
• Fine-tuning or training AI models, or developing AI agents
• Game or XR development
• LLM evaluation
• User study design and execution

Q: Do I need publications to apply for the PhD program?
A: Strong applicants usually have publications at top-tier venues such as CHI, UIST, SIGGRAPH, NeurIPS, or comparable conferences; these signal that you can take a project from idea to polished, peer-reviewed contribution. Meanwhile, publications are not the only way to demonstrate research potential. A compelling portfolio of open-source systems, software/hardware, demos, or other artifacts that show deep technical execution and insight can also make you a competitive candidate.

Q: I am not from Computer Science background, can I still apply?
A: Absolutely! We welcome applicants from diverse academic backgrounds. HCI is inherently interdisciplinary, and perspectives from different fields are highly valued in our research.

Q: Where does the lab publish at?
A: The publication venue will mainly depend on the nature of the work. Primarily, we will publish in ACM conferences on Human-Computer Interaction, such as CHI and UIST, and sometimes SIGGRAPH. We will also publish in AI venues like NeurIPS, ICLR, and CVPR if we believe the work is more suitable for that audience.