Hi there! I am a second-year Ph.D. student in Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, advised by Dr. Yuhang Zhao. My research interests are Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), accessibility, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), and responsible AI. I research the societal impacts of technologies, with the goal of making them accessible and inclusive for all. My current work supports inclusive avatar representation for people with disabilities in social VR, aiming to foster equitable and healthy social interactions in this emerging social space.

I am an interdisciplinary HCI researcher specialized in examining emerging technologies (e.g., AR/VR, AI) through socio-technical perspectives. Previously, I've received my master's degree in Information Science at Cornell University. Before that, I earned a B.A. with double majors in Sociology and Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Selected Publications

• Exploring the Design Space of Optical See-through AR Head-Mounted Displays to Support First Responders in the Field
  CHI '24
  Kexin Zhang, Brianna Cochran, Ruijia Chen, Lance Hartung, Bryce Sprecher, Ross Tredinnick, Kevin Ponto, Suman Banerjee, Yuhang Zhao.
• A Diary Study in Social Virtual Reality: Impact of Avatars with Disability Signifiers on the Social Experiences of People with Disabilities
  ASSETS '23
  Kexin Zhang, Elmira Deldari, Yaxing Yao, and Yuhang Zhao.
• “It’s Just Part of Me:” Understanding Avatar Diversity and Self-presentation of People with Disabilities in Social Virtual Reality
  ASSETS '22
  Kexin Zhang, Elmira Deldari, Zhicong Lu, Yaxing Yao, and Yuhang Zhao.