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 reshapes the way people use language 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 use unfolds and evolves alongside AI systems, and to translate these insights into the design of language systems.

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.