I’m a fifth-year PhD candidate in Information Studies at the University of Maryland’s College of Information (INFO), where I work with my advisor Dr. Ge Gao. I am a mixed-methods human-computer interaction (HCI) researcher studying human agency in AI-assisted language use. I am driven by a vision of AI that augments rather than flattens human language use, enhancing the authenticity and diversity of individual voices as a foundation for how we collectively make meaning, connect with others, and create culture.

Towards this vision, I examine how human-AI interaction shapes the conditions under which people exercise and develop language capabilities as a communicative, cognitive, and relational resource. My work combines empirical research and system building through a social science perspective, to advance understanding of how human language capacity unfolds and evolves alongside AI systems, and to translate these insights into the design of language systems that place human agency at the center.

I came to my PhD research with a background in both information and language sciences. I obtained my MS in Applied Data Science and MA in Linguistic Studies from Syracuse University. I completed my undergraduate studies at Shanghai International Studies University (SISU, 上海外国语大学) with a Bachelor of Management in Information Management and Systems and BA in English.

I consider research as one of the many ways I connect with myself, life, and the world. Over the years of my PhD, I have been growing my collection of artsy hobbies: journaling, reading, drawing and painting (gouache and watercolor), photography, knitting, crocheting, sewing, embroidery, clay crafting, piano, and dancing. Across all these hobbies, I have come to realize that I enjoy the process of learning the "language" of a new art domain, just as much as I enjoy using it to experience and create art.

I can be reached at yxiao[at]umd[dot]edu.