Research
Research Overview
I am interested in designing human-centered AI systems that proactively support users in everyday decision-making while preserving autonomy, trust, and emotional well-being. My research lies at the intersection of human–computer interaction and artificial intelligence, with a focus on proactive systems, emotion-aware interaction, and AI-supported learning environments.
Research Themes
Theme 1 — Proactive AI & Human Agency
I study when and how AI systems should take initiative rather than wait for explicit user commands. This line of work examines attention management, user trust, and the trade-offs between usefulness and intrusion. My system-level research explores proactive notification and decision-making mechanisms in real-world contexts.
(Reference and link to Lexi-Jarvis.)
Theme 2 — Emotion-Aware Human–AI Interaction
I am interested in how AI systems can recognize and respond to human emotional signals to support more natural and effective interaction. This includes work on multimodal emotion recognition and ethical considerations in deploying emotion-aware systems.
(Reference and link to Emotion Recognition in Human–Robot Interaction.)
Theme 3 — AI, Learning, and Social–Emotional Development
I explore how generative AI can act as a creative scaffold in learning environments, particularly for children. This research investigates authorship, emotional expression, and social–emotional learning (SEL) in AI-assisted creation.
(Reference and link to AI Book Maker.)
Methodological Approach
My research approach combines system prototyping with qualitative analysis. I treat deployed systems as research instruments, using iterative design, observation, and reflection to surface insights about human–AI interaction. I am particularly interested in translating abstract HCI concepts such as agency, attention, and emotion into operational system design.
Future Research Directions
Future work will investigate adaptive decision models for proactive AI systems, user interruptibility modeling using contextual and emotional signals, and empirical studies on trust and acceptance of proactive assistance. I am also interested in extending emotion-aware interaction into educational and collaborative settings.