Hi! I’m Zihan Wu, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Michigan, School of Information (UMSI). My research is at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Computing Education Research (CER). I adopt learning theories from CER and human-centered design methods from HCI to build engaging, scalable, and effective tools to help novices learn computing. I like to use both qualitative lab studies and at-scale classroom/field studies to evaluate the effectiveness of the tools. I have published in venues in both fields, such as CHI and ITiCSE.
I am advised by Dr. Barbara Ericson. Prior to UMSI, I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Technology from Tsinghua University. My previous academic advisors and collaborators include Dr. April Yi Wang, Dr. Steve Oney, Dr. Christopher Brooks, and Dr. Chun Yu.
I am looking for post-doc positions starting in fall 2025! I hope to continue designing and evaluating smart (Gen-AI/personalized), interactive (gamified/engaging), and scalable (web-based, low-cost) tools for introductory programming learners. Let’s chat if you are interested!