Education
PhD in Systems and Information Engineering
Sep. 2022 to May. 2027 at University Of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA (GPA: 4.0)
Bachelor in Computer Science with High Distinction (Minor in Psychology)
Sep. 2020 to May. 2022 at University Of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA (GPA: 4.0)
Experience
Research Assistant at University of Virginia Riggs' Lab
From Jan. 2021 to Present
- - Built multiple VR/AR applications using Unity (C#) and Android Studio for Meta Quest, Microsoft HoloLens, and Magic Leap, supporting multimodal input/output testing and interactive task-switching environments.
- - Led a series of mixed reality experiments analyzing cognitive workload and multi-interface attention through multimodal data analysis of eye tracking, movement tracking, and event logs using Python and R for statistical modeling and visualization.
- - Designed human-in-the-loop studies on AI-assisted decision-making, using Python to clean data, extract behavioral metrics, and model relationships between human performance, AI performance, and collaboration modes.
- - Developed a VR application to record and process 3D movement data, integrating real-time sensor input and spatial tracking for quantitative kinematic analysis.
Research Assistant at University of Virginia Ultimate User Interface Lab
From Sep. 2021 to Sep. 2023
- - Developed a computer vision–based sensing system to detect micro-movements and physical changes (e.g., force, volume) using Python, PyTorch, OpenCV, and convolutional neural networks informed by the Moiré pattern optical effect.
- - Built processing pipelines for motion tracking and trained image recognition models to detect real-time physical interactions, enabling tangible interfaces via spatial gesture input, and integrated the system into self-developed Android and VR applications.
- - Contributed to experimental design and VR prototyping to explore how VR-based perception manipulation influences proprioceptive accuracy during reaching tasks.
Research Assistant at University of Virginia Physics Department
From May. 2022 to Sep. 2022
- Created an interactive VR system in Unity for immersive science education, engineering 3D models and integrating physics-based animation pipelines to visualize real-time parton dynamics.
Publications
-
Multitasking Between Realities: An Examination of Multitasking Using Augmented Reality Under Different Task Demand Levels
Authors: Peiyu Zhang and Sara L. Riggs HFES Annual Meeting (ASPIRE) 2025
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🏆 MoiréTag: A Low-Cost Tag for High-Precision Tangible Interactions without Active Components
Authors: Peiyu Zhang, Wen Ying, Sara L. Riggs, and Seongkook Heo ACM ISS 2024 (Honorable Mention)
-
Chinese colposcopists' attitudes toward the colposcopic artificial intelligence auxiliary diagnostic system (CAIADS): A nation-wide, multi-center survey
Authors: Huike Wang*, Zichen Ye*, Peiyu Zhang*, Xiaoli Cui, Mingyang Chen, Aiyuan Wu, Sara L. Riggs, Peng Xue, and Youlin Qiao Sage Digital Health
-
Fringer: A Finger-Worn Passive Device Enabling Computer Vision Based Force Sensing Using Moiré Fringes
Authors: Peiyu Zhang, Wen Ying, and Seongkook Heo UIST 2022
Skills
Languages & Frameworks
- Python
- Java
- C#
- SQL
- Kotlin
- JavaScript
- PyTorch
- React
- Node.js
Tools & Platforms
- Unity
- Android Studio
- AWS
- MongoDB