Four Papers Slated for ACM CHI 2026, the Premier Conference on Human-Computer InteractionDescription
Professor Nam Wook Kim and his research group will present three full papers (including a journal presentation) and a workshop paper at the upcoming ACM CHI conference, the premier international venue for research in human-computer interaction.
The presented works include the TOCHI journal presentation titled "How Good is ChatGPT in Giving Advice on Your Visualization Design?" by Nam Wook Kim, Yongsu Ahn, Grace Myers, and Benjamin Bach. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of large language models in providing visualization design feedback by comparing AI-generated responses with human expert advice.
The group will also present From "Answer Givers to Design Mentors: Guiding LLMs with the Cognitive Apprenticeship Model" authored by Yongsu Ahn, Benjamin Bach, Lejun R. Liao, and Nam Wook Kim. This research introduces a framework that transforms AI chatbots from simple answer providers into interactive mentors that actively facilitate a user's design reasoning.
Another accepted work is "CROSSLIT: Connecting Visual and Textual Sensemaking for Literature Review" by Kiroong Choe, Nam Wook Kim, and other collaborators at Seoul National University. This work presents a novel system that seamlessly bridges visual and textual interfaces to help researchers better organize, explore, and synthesize academic literature.
Finally, the team will also present "Disrupting Cognitive Passivity: Rethinking AI-Assisted Data Literacy through Cognitive Alignment" by Yongsu Ahn, Nam Wook Kim, and Benjamin Bach. This paper discusses a cognitive alignment framework that adapts human-AI interaction dynamics to prevent user overreliance and promote learning.
The accepted publications highlight collaborative efforts with international partners at INRIA in France and Seoul National University in Korea. These presentations feature significant contributions across all levels of the research team. Postdoctoral researcher Yongsu Ahn will present two of the papers, while visiting scholar Kiroong Choe will present the CrossLit research. Professor Kim will deliver the presentation for the TOCHI journal paper. The projects also showcase excellent work from undergraduate students, including senior Lejun Liao and Grace Myers, who is currently pursuing a master's degree at Cornell University.
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Professor Donglai Wei co-authors a Nature paper introducing “CytoTape,” a weeks-long single-cell recorder of gene regulation
Assistant Professor Donglai Wei and collaborators from the University of Michigan, the University of Cambridge, and MIT have published a new study in Nature (January 26, 2026) describing CytoTape—a genetically encoded “protein tape recorder” that can continuously log multiple gene-regulation signals inside the same cells for up to three weeks.
Genes constantly turn “on” and “off” in living cells, shaping development, brain function, and how diseases begin and respond to treatment. Until now, scientists have had to trade off between fine time resolution, tracking many regulatory signals, and measuring large numbers of cells—limiting what we can learn about the true “decision-making” inside cells. CytoTape acts like a biological black-box recorder: a growing protein “thread” inside cells that writes time-stamped marks of gene-regulation events, later decoded by imaging and computation at minutes-scale resolution. In cultured mammalian cells, it recorded five transcription-factor activities alongside gene transcription, revealing how cells diverge based on prior history and signal integration. CytoTape-vivo extends this to the living brain, capturing weeks-long gene-expression histories across up to 14,123 neurons per mouse—opening new paths to uncover mechanisms of disease and accelerate the design of more precise therapies.
It also showcases undergraduate impact at BC: Jason Adhinarta (Class of 2025; now PhD student in MIT Computer Science) and Michael Lin (Class of 2025; now MS student in CMU Computer Science) are co-authors.
Interested in research or graduate school? Prof. Wei’s lab welcomes motivated undergraduates excited about AI4Science, agentic AI, foundation models, and large-scale biological data analysis. Please directly email donglai.wei@bc.edu with your resume.
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New IEEE Fellow Professor of Computer Science Usman A. Khan is recognized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Professor of Computer Science Usman A. Khan has been named a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest technical professional organization.
A global network of over 486,000 engineering and STEM professionals across a variety of disciplines, IEEE seeks to foster technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity.
The grade of fellow—awarded annually to fewer than one-tenth of voting members—recognizes unusual distinction in the profession and is reserved for a professional with an outstanding record of achievements in any of the fields of interest and whose work has “contributed importantly to the advancement or application of engineering, science, and technology, bringing the realization of significant value to society at large,” noted the announcement.
Khan was named to the IEEE Fellow Class of 2026 for contributions to optimization and localization in distributed stochastic settings, best described as the design and analysis of efficient methodologies for distributed learning and probabilistic modeling in large-scale artificial intelligence and physical systems. Examples include training deep neural networks and coordinating how teams of robots move and work collaboratively in complex, uncertain environments.
“I’m deeply honored and humbled to receive this recognition,” said Khan. “I’m very fortunate to have had exceptional mentors, students and collaborators, without whom it would not have been possible.”
Prior to joining BC last year, Khan was a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Tufts University. He also holds a concurrent appointment as an Amazon Scholar with Amazon Robotics, a program designed for academics from universities worldwide who work on large-scale technical challenges while continuing to teach and conduct research at their respective universities.
“We’re proud to celebrate Usman’s election as an IEEE Fellow,” said George Mohler, the Daniel J. Fitzgerald Professor and chair of the Computer Science department. “This award recognizes his high-impact research at the intersection of optimization, robotics and artificial intelligence, and brings high-level visibility to the department. It’s an exciting achievement and we are grateful to have Usman as a colleague.”
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Boston College announces a new Ph.D. program in Computer Science
We're excited to share the news that Boston College has launched a new Ph.D. program in Computer Science (CS).
The CS department's faculty includes leading experts in their fields, with an emphasis on the theory of computation and algorithmic fairness, machine learning, and data science and visualization, including applications to health, the sciences, language, and society. The Ph.D. program will provide a vehicle for us to train the next generation of computer scientists at the research frontier in these fields, with contributions to human knowledge and social good both prime considerations.
We welcome applications from qualified candidates.
Boston College Students Successfully Present Their Work at IEEE AIIoT 2025
Boston College Computer Science students Bo Jiang, Jiaheng Li, and Zhi Xu presented their work at the IEEE World AI IoT Congress, May 28-30, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The conference provided an opportunity for researchers, educators and students to discuss and exchange ideas on issues, trends, and developments in the related fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Using statistical and deep learning methods to study how crime is influenced by location and time
George Mohler, chairperson of the computer science department at Boston College, was featured in The Trace describing how statistical and deep learning methods can be used to study how crime is influenced by location and time. —The Trace, "tracing gun violence in America" [Full story]
Grace Pascarella Presents at ACM Student Research Competition at SIGCSE
Grace Pascarella (MCAS '25) presented "Extending a concept inventory - Covering CS0 - CS2 Topics" at the ACM Student Research Competition at SIGCSE. Pascarella co-authored the poster with Computer Science Department Associate Professor of the Practice Maíra Marques Samary.
"Students entering Computer Science (CS) programs are arriving at college with a varying knowledge of coding and CS. The rigid structure suggested to all, does not fit everybody. But finding the correct starting course in CS at college level is not simple, since students may not understand that CS is not only coding. The failure of a good selection on where to start the CS program can be a hindrance to students, since they may perceive that CS is not for them because it appears to be too hard, or they may perceive it as too easy and lose their interest. The General Concept Inventory for Introductory Computer Science (GCSCI) was created to tackle this problem, it can be roughly divided in two parts. In previous research authors have presented the validation of the first part, that can assess concepts that are usually taught in CS0 and CS1. This work presents the second part of GCSCI, the topics covered and its validity assessment. This part of the assessment contains 42 questions that assess topics from object orientation to data structures and sorting. All students doing CS2 in Fall 2023 were invited to participate, from the 42 questions being evaluated; 20 had a good coverage and were validated in terms of discrimination and difficulty level."
Joshua Gorniak Received an Honorable Mention for the CRA Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award
Joshua Gorniak, one of our outstanding undergraduate students, received an Honorable Mention in the highly competitive CRA Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Awards program for 2024-2025. Organized by the Computing Research Association (CRA), this program celebrates undergraduate students across North American colleges and universities (e.g., the US, Canada, Mexico) who demonstrate exceptional research potential in the field of computing.
The program places a strong emphasis on research excellence while also considering academic achievements and service contributions such as leadership, teaching, and peer mentoring. Joshua’s recognition as an Honorable Mention highlights his remarkable contributions to computing research, his dedication to advancing the field, and the department's commitment to fostering cutting-edge research and academic excellence.
Congratulations to Joshua on this prestigious recognition and for representing Boston College at a national level!