Systems Engineering · Stevens Institute of Technology

JiachengSun.

Studying human–AI collaboration and immersive interaction to support creativity, learning, and human judgment.

Ph.D. Candidate · HAI Design Lab · Hoboken, NJ

Explore my research ↗LinkedIn ↗
01 / About

A human perspective
on intelligent systems.

I am a Ph.D. candidate in Systems Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology and a member of the Human-AI Interaction Design Lab, advised by Prof. Ting Liao.

My research examines how people interact with AI during engineering design and ideation. I am interested in how design performance, adoption of AI suggestions, and trust evolve over repeated interactions—and how AI can better support human judgment and creativity.

My work also explores adaptive feedback, cognitive load, and interaction in augmented and virtual reality.

I joined the doctoral program in Fall 2024 and hold an M.S. in Computer Science from Stevens Institute of Technology.

Human–AI collaborationAI-assisted ideationTrust in AIEngineering designAR / VR & cognitive load
02 / Research

Intelligent support.
Human experience.

From AI-assisted ideation to adaptive feedback in augmented and virtual reality.

Human–AI collaboration

Performance, Suggestion Adoption, and Trust in Iterative AI-Assisted Ideation

Using the AI Design Assistant (AIDA) as a research platform, this work examines how performance, suggestion adoption, and trust change across repeated AI-assisted ideation.

These signals do not necessarily move together: adopting more suggestions does not always lead to better outcomes, and trust can be shaped by how AI communicates. Evaluating collaboration requires looking beyond a single measure.

Presented at ASME IDETC-CIE 2026 and as a poster at ACM HCOMP 2026.

Explore lab posters ↗
Immersive interaction · AR / VR

Adaptive feedback and cognitive load in immersive environments

My research also examines cognitive load, sensory interference, and adaptive feedback in augmented and virtual reality. This includes VR-based learning and the effects of hand gestures and eye gaze on task efficiency in AR.

These studies form another strand of my research: understanding how interaction and feedback can support people within immersive environments.

Read the VR study ↗   Related publications ↓
03 / Publications

Selected work.

Google Scholar ↗
04 / Recent updates

In the community.

More on LinkedIn ↗
2026

ACM HCOMP · Alexandria, VA

Presented our poster on iterative AI-assisted ideation and received recognition as an Outstanding Reviewer for the HCOMP 2026 paper track.

2026

ASME IDETC-CIE · Houston, TX

Presented our research in the Design Theory and Methodology conference and contributed a perspective talk to the 5th Workshop on Trends in Human-AI Teaming for Engineering Design.

2025

International DSM Conference

Contributed as a conference volunteer at Stevens Institute of Technology.

05 / Contact

Let’s connect.

For conversations about human–AI collaboration and engineering design.

Google Scholar   /   LinkedIn   /   HAI Design Lab