ZHAOWEN DENG · ABOUT
I build intelligence
for people.
Computer scientist, AI & HCI researcher, and maker exploring how intelligent systems can feel more useful, responsible, and human.
01 · ORIGIN CHENGDU, CHINA
Where momentum meets an unhurried rhythm.
I come from Chengdu — a city where fast-moving ideas meet unhurried rhythms, and where technology and art feel equally at home. Its blend of momentum and pause taught me to pursue progress without losing imagination, texture, or a sense of beauty.
I want the things I build to hold both energies.
02 · JOURNEY ACROSS DISCIPLINES
One path.
Several ways of seeing.
My journey moves from Chengdu to Duke Kunshan and Duke, where I pursued a double major in Computation & Design and Computer Science across both campuses, then through HCI research at HKUST(GZ), and now to an M.S. in Computer Science at Dartmouth.
03 · RESEARCH HUMAN–AI COLLABORATION
Agents should expand human judgment—not replace it.
I study how AI can work alongside practitioners and domain experts— surfacing useful alternatives, supporting reflection, and preserving human judgment in consequential decisions.
04 · RESEARCH AFFECTIVE COMPUTING
What if an AI could offer a hand—literally?
I build embodied, affect-aware systems that sense emotion through voice, vision, and touch—and respond through interactions that feel physically and socially meaningful.
05 · BUILDING INTELLIGENT AGENT SYSTEMS
From plausible outputs to accountable systems.
I design agentic systems as closed, inspectable loops—grounding action in evidence, verifying outcomes, learning from failure, and deciding when intervention is worth the cost.
06 · BEYOND THE LAB INTEREST
Sometimes ideas become systems. Sometimes breath becomes music.
I sing, record covers, and share them online. Music is the other half of how I think: timing, attention, emotion, and the space between notes.
THE STORY CONTINUES
Still learning.
Still becoming.
I want to build intelligent systems that earn trust through what they do for people—and through what they choose not to do.
© 2026 Zhaowen Deng