Date: July 28, Friday, 2023, 9:00 – 10:00 AM BJT

Zoom ID: 995 7043 2766; Passcode: 0728

Speaker: Xin Tong, Assistant Professor of Computation and Design, Researcher at the Data Science Research Center and Global Health Research Center, Duke Kunshan University

Abstract: Emerging technologies such as VR and AI have made significant contributions to various communities and fields, e.g., wellbeing, healthcare, and social good. In my research, I aim to design and study interactive and intelligent systems that support users with their physical and psychosocial conditions while provide personalized intervention strategies. By leveraging interactive and intelligent systems, my goal is to enhance their access to information and support from their social environments. In this talk, I will begin by providing an overview of my background and the motivations behind my research. I will then delve into my key research directions, highlighting my prior and ongoing research projects and creative practices in interactive VR and AI systems for wellbeing and social good, focusing on micro stress interventions, VR applications for pain management, and AI-generated assistive cognitive interventions for older adults.

Bio: Dr. Xin Tong is an Assistant Professor of Computation and Design, and a researcher at the Data Science Research Center and Global Health Research Center at Duke Kunshan University (DKU). Dr. Tong is also the founding director of DKU HCI Lab and one of the co-directors in DKU’s HRC-supported Anthropocene XR Lab. Previously, she was a postdoc fellow affiliated with the Pervasive Wellbeing Technology Lab at Stanford University, and before that, she was a researcher at the Pain Studies Lab. She received her Ph.D. at Simon Fraser University (SFU), Canada, and her Ph.D. dissertation received the “Canadian Best PhD Dissertation in HCI” award in 2021. Dr. Tong’s research areas are VR, human-computer interaction (HCI), games, accessibility, ML and AI. Her research focuses on the larger understanding of how vulnerable populations experience and interact with technologies through varying design approaches and mixed-method research. Dr. Tong has published in many top-tier academic venues in HCI areas, and she has been an editor, reviewer, and paper chair for high-impact conferences and journals, such as ACM CHI, CSCW, DIS, CHI Play, IEEE VR, and so on. Dr. Tong is also a recipient of many international, national, and university fellowships and renowned awards.

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NACI—the N Aging and Care Initiative

N represents Nameless, Nest, and Population

The NACI aspires to reshape the landscape of aging and care in China and strives to create a society that recognizes the inherent worth of every aging and dying individual, fostering an environment where care is a deeply cherished and respected value, providing a nurturing nest for all.