Hi there! I’m a fourth-year PhD candidate in Information Studies at the University of Maryland’s College of Information (INFO). My research focuses on human-computer interaction (HCI) and computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) in contexts involving linguistically diverse populations. I apply social science theories and mixed methods to examine people's agency to use language and communicate across languages, with the assistance of language technologies such as machine translation and large language models.

My education has always integrated my interests in language and information technology. Prior to Maryland, I obtained my MS in Applied Data Science and MA in Linguistic Studies with a graduate certificate in Language Teaching 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 System, BA in English, and a minor in Finance. I also spent a wonderful semester as an international visiting student in management information systems at the University of North Carolina Wilmington during college.

I enjoy many things in my life. I'm from Ganzhou, China and have lived in Shanghai, China and Syracuse, NY before moving to the DMV area. I can be reached at yxiao[at]umd[dot]edu.