About Me

Zhe Liu (刘哲) is a Ph.D. student in Computer Science at the University of British Columbia, advised by Prof. Joanna McGrenere. Her research focuses on designing and evaluating human–AI collaboration systems that enhance human capabilities. She is especially interested in using AI to support complex professional and creative tasks, drawing on methods from human–computer interaction (HCI) and natural language processing (NLP). Her current work explores real-time AI assistance for qualitative research methods, particularly semi-structured interviews. Previously, she studied multi-device collaborative interaction and technology design for older adults.

News

2026-04-21: Honored to be the only student in UBC’s Department of Computer Science to receive the 2026 NSERC Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral, one of Canada’s most prestigious national scholarships for doctoral scholars.
2026-02-16: A poster I contributed to on supporting learning through human–AI interaction, Interactive LLM Scaffolding, is accepted at CHI 2026!
2026-01-20: I begin my research internship with the Social Computing group at Microsoft Research Asia in Beijing, working with Dr. Xing Xie and Dr. Haotian Li on interactive-widget-augmented human–AI collaoration.
2025-11-08: Our StarSEM paper poster in presented at EMNLP 2025 in Suzhou, China.
2025-10-21: Our CSCW paper about envisioning AI support during semi-structured interviews gets Honorable Mention award! Check the presentation here

Publications

Research Papers

2026

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CHI EA

From Passive Consumption to Active Interaction: Exploring Interactive LLM Scaffolding to Support Learning Engagement

Chen, Zixin, Li, Haotian, Liu, Zhe, Qu, Huamin, Xie, Xing

Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2026

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CHI

Designing Real-Time AI Assistance for Semi-Structured Interviews: Navigating Cognitive Load and Interviewer Agency

Liu, Zhe, Dai, Jiamin, McGrenere, Joanna

Under Review for Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2026

2025

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StarSEM

Bridging Information Gaps with Comprehensive Answers: Improving the Diversity and Informativeness of Follow-Up Questions

Liu, Zhe, Kang, Taekyu, Wang, Haoyu, Alavi, Seyed Hossein, Shwartz, Vered

Proceedings of the 14th Joint Conference on Lexical and Computational Semantics (*SEM 2025), 2025

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CSCW
Honorable Mention

Envisioning AI Support during Semi-Structured Interviews Across the Expertise Spectrum

Liu, Zhe, Dai, Jiamin, Conati, Cristina, McGrenere, Joanna

The ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW) (Accepted December 2024), 2025

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IUI

Interview AI-ssistant: Designing for Real-Time Human-AI Collaboration in Interview Preparation and Execution

Liu, Zhe

Companion Proceedings of the 30th International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces, 2025

2022

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ISS

Leveraging smartwatch and earbuds gesture capture to support wearable interaction

Rateau, Hanae, Lank, Edward, Liu, Zhe

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 2022

2018

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PerDis

Applying the Cumulative Fatigue Model to Interaction on Large, Multi-Touch Displays

Liu, Zhe, Vogel, Daniel, Wallace, James

Proceedings of the 7th ACM International Symposium on Pervasive Displays, 2018

2017

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CHI

VITA: Towards Supporting Volunteer Interactions with Long-Term Care Residents with Dementia

Foong, Pin Sym, Zhao, Shengdong, Carlson, Kelsey, Liu, Zhe

Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2017

2015

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HCI International

Leap-Motion Based Online Interactive System for Hand Rehabilitation

Liu, Zhe, Zhang, Yingzhi, Rau, Pei-Luen Patrick, Choe, Pilsung, Gulrez, Tauseef

International Conference on Cross-Cultural Design, 2015

2014

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HCI International

An Approach of Indoor Exercise: Kinect-based Video Game for Elderly People

Liu, Zhe, Liao, Chen, Choe, Pilsung

International Conference on Cross-Cultural Design, 2014

Patents

2021

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Patent CN

A Bi-manual Separated Text Entry Method Based on Stroke Direction and Distance

Xu, Qiang, Liu, Zhe, Damien Masson, et al

CN112218134A, 2021

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Patent US

Build a Flexible Local Tracking System using one or multiple mobile devices

Xu, Qiang, Liu, Zhe, Li, Wei

US20220395724A1, 2021

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Patent CN

A Method of Automatically Detecting Headphone Wearing Condition

Sun, Zhida, Xu, Qiang, Wu, Wenhao Wu, Liu, Zhe, Li, Chenhe

CN115914948A, 2021

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Patent WO

Devices and methods for remote control and annotation associated with an electronic device

Sun, Junwei, Li, Jun, Liu, Zhe, Xu, Qiang, Wu, Wenhao, et al

WO2023097573A1, 2021

2020

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Patent CN

A Low-Energy-Comsumption Method for Multi-Device Position Detecting and Updating

He, Yanshan, Qiang Xu, Liu, Zhe, Huang, Xueyan, et al

CN112637758A, 2020

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Patent WO

Activating Cross-Device Interaction with Pointing Gesture Recognition

Xu, Qiang, Liu, Zhe, Long, Jiayu, et al

WO2022027435A1, 2020

Experience

Education

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PhD Computer Science

University of British Columbia

August 2022 – Present

  • Specialization: Human-Computer Interaction and Human-AI Interaction.
  • Supervisor: Joanna McGrenere.
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Master of Science in Human-Computer Interaction

University of Waterloo

April 2017 – August 2019

  • GPA: 3.70/4.0
  • Thesis: Modeling Cumulative Arm Fatigue on Large Multi-touch Displays.
  • Advisors: Prof. James Wallace, Prof. Daniel Vogel.
  • Relevant Courses: Computer Vision in Human-Computer Interaction, Machine Learning, Deep Learning.
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Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering

Tsinghua University

August 2011 – July 2015

  • GPA: 3.65/4.0
  • Relevant Courses: Programming, Data Structures, Algorithm Analysis, Databases, User-Centered Design.

Work Experience

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Research Intern

Microsoft Research Aisa

January 2026 – May 2026

  • Led an end-to-end research project investigating the evaluation of interactive-widget-augmented human–AI collaboration and prepared the resulting manuscript for submission.
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HCI Research Engineer

HUAWEI Technologies Canada

April 2019 – August 2022

  • Designed and evaluated a bi-manual text entry method with 'eyes-free' situation for VR display.
  • Conducted experiment about free-hand gesture control with large distant display.
  • Investigated user behavior for pointing with IMU and UWB-driven devices in a real Smart Home environment.
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Full Stack Developer

Ecopia Tech

April 2018 – August 2018

  • Developed a web-based interface using REACT (JavaScript library) for stage-able project management.
  • Implemented a distributive system with AWS to pipeline programs, decreasing human effort by 92%.
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Research Assistant

National University of Singapore, NUS-HCI LAB

September 2015 – May 2016

  • Developed a tablet-application recommendation framework for nursing home visitors. Paper Video
  • Developed a haptic wristband that encodes information into spatiotemporal vibrations with Arduino.
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Interactive Designer Intern

AUGMN Incorporation

February 2015 – June 2015

  • Designed and proposed the swipe gesture for "Scanning" and "Read More" operations for TOWN (a location-based social APP).
  • Self-taught iOS development skills to implement the gesture interaction module within 2 weeks.
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Research Intern

Georgia Institute of Technology, Ubiquitous Computing Group

May 2014 – September 2014

  • Designed and developed a motion-based Tetris game with C#. Video
  • Managed an observational study with 30 students with autism and interviews with 7 teachers and caregivers to test the impact on children's engagement, social behaviour and motor skills.

Awards & Honors

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NSERC Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS-D)

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

April 2026

  • One of Canada’s most prestigious national scholarships for doctoral scholars
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Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF)

University of British Columbia

December 2024

  • Awarded for academic excellence (doctoral student)
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Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF)

University of British Columbia

December 2023

  • Awarded for academic excellence (doctoral student)

Teaching

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UBC Computer Science Teaching Development Program (Year 2)

Trainee, UBC

2025 Fall

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CPSC 436N - Natural Language Processing

Teaching Assistant, UBC

2025 Fall

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Graduate/Post-doc Students Teaching in Higher Education Conference, Certificate

Trainee, ITeach in Higher Education

2025 Summer

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CPSC 444 - Advanced Methods for Human Computer Interaction

Teaching Assistant, UBC

2025 Spring

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UBC Computer Science Teaching Development Program (Year 1), Certificate

Trainee, UBC

2024 Fall

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CPSC 344 - Introduction to Human Computer Interaction Methods

Teaching Assistant, UBC

2023 Fall

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CPSC 344 - Introduction to Human Computer Interaction Methods

Teaching Assistant, UBC

2023 Spring

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CPSC 344 - Introduction to Human Computer Interaction Methods

Teaching Assistant, UBC

2022 Fall