About me
Hi there👋 I am Zihan Fang (房梓晗). I am a Ph.D. student in Computer Science at Vanderbilt University, guided by Dr. Yu Huang. I earned my Bachelor's degree in Information Management from Soochow University, and my Master's degree in Data Science from Vanderbilt University. My research focuses on designing human-centered AI for software engineering, using cognitive and mixed-methods studies to evaluate and refine AI-powered code tools that fit developers’ workflows, support developers, and enhance productivity and coding outcomes. Feel free to contact me if you are interested in my work!
Publications
Investigating the Feasibility of Conducting Webcam-Based Eye-Tracking Studies in Code Comprehension. TSE
Zihan Fang, Robert Wallace, Zachary Karas, Toby Li, Collin McMillan, Yu Huang
[PDF]
Contribution Patterns in Open Source Software for Social Good: Dynamics, Individuals, and Impact. CSCW’2026
Zihan Fang, Yueke Zhang, Thomas Zimmermann, Denae Ford, Yu Huang
[PDF]
CodeACT-R: A Cognitive Simulation Framework for Code Reading. ASE 2025-NIER
Yueke Zhang, Zihan Fang, Greg Trafton, Daniel Levin, Kevin Leach, Yu Huang
[PDF]
A Comparative Study on ChatGPT and Checklist as Support Tools for Unit Testing Education. FSE 2025-SEET
Zihan Fang, Jiliang Li, Anda Liang, Gina R. Bai, Yu Huang
[PDF]
“Math Is a Pain!”: Understanding Challenges and Needs of the Machine Learning Community on Stack Overflow. CSCW 2024
Zihan Fang, Yu Huang
[PDF]
A Four-Year Study of Student Contributions to OSS vs. OSS4SG with a Lightweight Intervention. FSE 2023
Zihan Fang, Madeline Endres, Thomas Zimmermann, Denae Ford, Westley Weimer, Kevin Leach, Yu Huang
🏆 ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award [PDF]
Awards
- Ignite Grant at Vanderbilt University
- LIVE Horizon Grant at Vanderbilt University
- C. F. Chen Best Paper Award in the Department of Computer Science at Vanderbilt University
- Richard Bennett/Dorothy Danforth Compton Prize Scholarship at Vanderbilt University
- SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award at FSE 2023
- NSF Student Travel Award
Service
- SIGCSE TS 2025 - PC member (Posters)
- SIGCSE TS 2025 - PC member (Computing Education Research)
Experience
- Ph.D. student in Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 2023-2028
- M.S. in Data Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, 2021-2023
- B.S. in Information Management, Soochow University, China, 2016-2020