Yixuan Zhang

Yixuan (Janice) Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at William & Mary, holding a Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing from Georgia Tech (2023). Her research focuses on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Human-LLM Interaction, Data Visualization, and Trust Dynamics, with cross-disciplinary applications in health informatics and STEM education. She has published in top venues like ACM CHI, CSCW, and IEEE VIS, earning awards including the 2022 Rising Star in EECS and Foley Scholar recognition.

Research Highlights:

• Explores ethical implications of LLMs in education and healthcare.
• Investigates trust dynamics in crisis informatics and social media.
• Designs AI-driven tools for Alzheimer’s awareness and mental health support.

Grants & Collaborations:

• NSF RITEL Grant ($900K) for LLM-powered collaborative learning systems.
• Partnerships with WHO, Microsoft Research, and Virginia educational institutions.
• Co-chaired ACM DIS'24 and served on CHI'24 program committees.

Awards:

• Best Paper Award at CHI'23
• Learn, Discover, Innovate grant (2023)
• General Assembly of Virginia grant for ADRD awareness systems.

Her lab actively engages in projects like MetaAgents (CSCW'25) and EmotionPrompt (enhancing LLMs with emotional stimuli). She advises PhD students in AI ethics and education technology.