Computer Science · Vanderbilt University
Zihan Fang
Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science · Vanderbilt University
I am a Ph.D. candidate 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 is at the intersection of human-centered AI, software engineering, and computing education. Broadly, I'm interested in understanding how people develop programming expertise and how we can design AI systems that help them learn, participate, and become more skilled.
I combine large-scale repository mining, cognitive and behavioral modeling, and reinforcement learning to understand how people develop expertise and translate these insights into AI-supported programming systems and immersive learning environments.
Feel free to contact me if you are interested in my work!
I am on the academic job market and welcome faculty opportunities worldwide!
Education
- 2023–presentPh.D. in Computer ScienceVanderbilt University
- 2021–2023M.S. in Data ScienceVanderbilt University
- 2016–2020B.S. in Information ManagementSoochow University
News
Latest first · Scroll for earlier updates2026
- ✈️ Oct: Attended ASE in Munich, Germany! Great to reconnect with colleagues and exchange ideas with the software engineering community.
- Received the ACM SIGSOFT CAPS Travel Award to support my conference participation.
- 🎉 ASE: Two papers accepted! Our work on inclusive programming support for novices with dyslexia and our collaborative study Programming by Chat.
- FSE: Two collaborative papers published: ScanCoder: Leveraging Human Attention Patterns to Enhance LLMs for Code and Stop the Retrieval Thrash: Brain-Guided Episodic Memory for Repository-Scale Coding Agents (HumanAISE).
- ✈️ Jun: Attended EASE 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK!
- EASE: Our collaborative paper Locating Software Vulnerabilities With Static Analyzers: How Far Are We? was published.
- CSCW: Our paper Contribution Patterns in Open Source Software for Social Good: Dynamics, Individuals, and Impact was accepted!
- TOSEM: Our eye-tracking study Novices Comprehending Functional vs. Imperative Programs was published.
- IEEE TSE: Our research on the feasibility of webcam-based eye tracking for code comprehension was published.
- 🎓 Apr: Successfully presented my Ph.D. dissertation proposal at Vanderbilt University!
2025
- ASE (NIER): Our collaborative paper CodeACT-R: A Cognitive Simulation Framework for Human Attention in Code Reading was accepted.
- ✈️ Jun: Attended FSE 2025 in Trondheim, Norway.
- 🎓 Jun: Helped support the inaugural HumanAISE 2025 workshop, co-located with FSE 2025.
- FSE (SEET): Our paper A Comparative Study on ChatGPT and Checklist as Support Tools for Unit Testing Education was accepted!
- Received the Vanderbilt Ignite Grant and LIVE Horizon Grant to support research and educational innovation.
2024
- 🏆 Received the C. F. Chen Best Paper Award from Vanderbilt University's Department of Computer Science.
- Awarded the Richard Bennett/Dorothy Danforth Compton Prize Scholarship.
- CSCW: Our paper "Math Is a Pain!": Understanding Challenges and Needs of the Machine Learning Community on Stack Overflow was published.
2023
- 🏆 FSE: Our paper A Four-Year Study of Student Contributions to OSS vs. OSS4SG with a Lightweight Intervention received the ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award!
- Received an NSF Student Travel Award.
Publications
2027
- ICSE
2026
- ASE
- ASE
- TOSEM
- FSE Companion
- FSE
- EASE
- TSE
- CSCW
2025
- ASE · NIER
- FSE · SEET
2024
- CSCW
Awards & Honors
- 2026ACM SIGSOFT CAPS Travel Award
- 2025Ignite GrantVanderbilt University
- 2025LIVE Horizon GrantVanderbilt University
- 2024C. F. Chen Best Paper AwardDepartment of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University
- 2024Richard Bennett/Dorothy Danforth Compton Prize ScholarshipVanderbilt University
- 2023ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper AwardFSE
- 2023NSF Student Travel Award
Academic Service
- AAAI 2026Program Committee Member
- Empirical Software Engineering (EMSE)Reviewer
- SIGCSE TS 2025Posters; Computing Education ResearchProgram Committee Member
Teaching
- Fall 2026Designing Computing for LearningCS3892/5892 · Teaching Assistant · Vanderbilt University
- Spring 2024Principles of Software EngineeringCS4278/5278 · Teaching Assistant · Vanderbilt University
- Fall 2023Database Management SystemsCS3265 · Teaching Assistant · Vanderbilt University
- Spring 2023 · Fall 2022Fundamentals of Data ScienceDS3100 · Teaching Assistant · Vanderbilt University