Chenyang Zhang

Atlanta, GA

Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing

Advisor: Yalong Yang

Urbana, IL

Master of Computer Science (MCS) · GPA: 3.82/4.0

Advisors: Elahe Soltanaghai, Sarah Sterman

Shanghai, China

B.Eng. in Computer Science · GPA: 3.57/4.0

Advisor: Quan Li

Seattle, WA

Student Researcher

Advisors: Eric J. Gonzalez, Mar Gonzalez-Franco

• Developed Break the Window, a prototype and pipeline that decomposes conventional webpages into interactive spatial layouts in XR, resulting in a VRST 2026 full paper, a CHI 2026 poster, and an ongoing patent filing.

Atlanta, GA

Graduate Research Assistant

Advisor: Yalong Yang

• Built and evaluated Ivy, a situated AI system that builds and maintains persistent activity and place knowledge to support context-aware assistance across phones and AI glasses.
• Explored spatial web browsing systems that combine modular user interfaces with WebMCP-based agent capabilities to support human-AI interaction with web content.
• Developed ForcePinch, a force-responsive XR interaction technique that uses continuous pinch force to control tracking speed and precision (UIST 2025).

Cambridge, MA

Research Assistant · Visual Computing Group

Advisors: Zhu-Tian Chen, Hanspeter Pfister

• Developed a declarative visualization grammar for LLMs and a real-time controller that adapts AR visualizations to designer intent and context, supporting adaptive visualization and human-AI collaboration.

Urbana, IL

Graduate Research Assistant

Advisor: Elahe Soltanaghai

• Developed FocusFlow, a hands-free VR interaction technique using binocular gaze depth; designed and conducted iterative user studies on usability and learnability (CHI 2024).

Urbana, IL

Graduate Research Assistant

Advisor: Sarah Sterman

• Conducted a qualitative study on how documentation shapes teaching and learning in physical computing courses, based on open coding of syllabi and interviews with instructors.

Shanghai, China

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Advisors: Quan Li, Shenghua Gao

• Developed visual analytics systems across e-commerce, medical research, and systems optimization, resulting in four publications in IEEE TVCG and IEEE VIS.
• Conducted computer vision research on medical image analysis and chest X-ray diagnostic quality assessment, contributing to a paper in IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging (TMI).

CHI · Barcelona, Spain

UIST · Busan, South Korea

CHI · Honolulu, HI, USA

VIS · Oklahoma City, OK, USA

ISMAR

Top 2%

Top 7%

Teaching Assistant

• Computer Graphics in the AI Era · Summer and Fall 2026.

Teaching Assistant

• Introduction to Information Science & Technology · Fall 2021.
• Design Thinking and Social Design in China · Fall 2021.

Volunteer Teacher · Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, China

• Provided general education courses including science, art, sports, and adolescent education; conducted fieldwork on China's poverty reduction initiatives.