Anson Kahng

Anson Kahng

Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Data Science

PhD, Carnegie Mellon University

Office Location
2401 Wegmans Hall
Web Address
Website

Research Overview

Research interests include creating embodied and intelligent interfaces that transcend learning, communication and wellbeing for people with diverse abilities and backgrounds. Main research areas include human-computer interaction, augmented reality, tangible user interface, embodied conversational agent, learning technology, and assistive technology.

Research Interests

  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Augmented Reality
  • Tangible User Interfaces
  • Embodied Conversational Agent
  • Technology-Enhanced Learning
  • Computer-Supported Collaborative Work
  • Assistive Technology

Research Overview

Anson Kahng joined URCS and UR's Goergen Institute for Data Science in July 2022. He received his PhD from Carnegie Mellon University and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto. Broadly, Anson's research interests lie at the intersection of theoretical computer science, artificial intelligence, and economics. More specifically, he is interested in the relationship between computer science and democracy, and he uses tools from computational social choice to analyze new democratic paradigms such as liquid democracy, participatory budgeting, and virtual democracy from the perspective of various desiderata including strategyproofness, robustness, and fairness, among others.

Research Interests

  • Computational social choice
  • Democracy and computer science
  • Economics and computation
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Theoretical computer science
  • Algorithmic game theory

Selected Publications

  • [In review] Sinha, T., Bai, Z., Cassell, J. A Novel Multimodal Approach for Studying the Dynamics of Curiosity in Group Learning. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies.
  • Paranjape, B., Bin, Y., Bai, Z., Hammer, J., and Cassell, J. (2018). Towards Automatic Generation of Peer-Targeted Science Talk in a Curiosity-Evoking Virtual Agent. [to appear] In Proc. 18th ACM International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents.
  • Ali, S., To, A., Bai, Z., Holmes, J., Fath, E., Kaufman, G., Hammer, J. (2018). Transition from Goal Driven Game Design to Game Driven Goal Delineation in Tandem Transformational Game Design. [to appear] In Proc. Meaningful Play 2018
  • Paranjape, B., Bai, Z., and Cassell, J. (2018) Predicting the Temporal and Social Dynamics of Curiosity in Small Group Learning. 19th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education.
  • Sinha, T., Bai, Z., Cassell, J. (2017) A New Theoretical Framework for Curiosity for Learning in Social Contexts. 12th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning. [Accept rate: 25.3%] (Best paper award nominee)
  • Sinha, T., Bai, Z., Cassell, J. (2017) Curious Minds Wonder Alike: Studying Multimodal Behavioral Dynamics to Design Social Scaffolding of Curiosity. 12th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning. [Accept rate: 25.3%]
  • Bai, Z., Blackwell, A.F., Coulouris, G. (2015). Exploring Expressive Augmented Reality: The FingAR Puppet System for Social Pretend Play. In Proc. ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Seoul, Republic of Korea, April 18-23, 2015, pages 1035-1044. [Accept rate: ~23%]
  • Bai, Z., Blackwell, A.F., Coulouris, G. (2015). Exploring Expressive Augmented Reality: The FingAR Puppet System for Social Pretend Play. In Proc. ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Seoul, Republic of Korea, April 18-23, 2015, pages 1035-1044. [Accept rate: ~23%]
  • Bai, Z., Blackwell, A.F., Coulouris, G. (2015). Using Augmented Reality to Elicit Pretend Play for Children with Autism. (2015) IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, vol.21, no.5, pages 598-610. (By invitation)
  • Bai, Z., Blackwell, A.F., Coulouris, G. (2013). Through the Looking Glass: Pretend Play for Children with Autism. In Proc. 12th International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR), 1-4 October 2013, Adelaide, Australia, pages 49-58. [Accept rate: ~3%](Best paper award nominee)
  • Bai, Z., Blackwell, A.F. (2013). See-through Window vs. Magic Mirror: A Comparison in Supporting Visual-Motor Tasks. In Proc. 12th International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR), pages 239-240.
  • Bai, Z., Blackwell, A.F., Coulouris, G. (2013). Can We Augment Reality with “Mental Images” to Elicit Pretend Play? A Usability Study. In Proc. ACM CHI Extended Abstract 2013, 27 April -2 May 2013, Paris, France, pages 1-6.
  • Bai, Z., Blackwell, A.F., Coulouris, G. (2012). Making Pretense Visible and Graspable: An Augmented Reality Approach to Promote Pretend Play. In Proc. 11th IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR), 5-8 November 2012, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, pages 267-268. [Accept rate: ~28%]
  • Bai, Z. (2012). Augmenting Imagination for Children with Autism. In Proc. 11th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (IDC), 12-15 June 2012, Bremen, Germany, pages 327-330. [Accept rate: ~31%]
  • Bai, Z., Blackwell, A.F. (2012). Analytic Review of Usability Evaluation in ISMAR. Interacting with Computers, 24(6), pages 450-460.