Ling Qiu: Research scientist, Meta
Qiu earned a bachelor’s diploma in electrical engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2016, a grasp’s diploma in electrical engineering from Clemson University in 2019 and his doctorate in informatics from Penn State in 2025.
He started his doctoral research in quantum computing however shifted to informatics to focus extra on human-centered expertise.
“IST’s interdisciplinary environment was a perfect fit for my interests,” Qiu mentioned. “The program emphasizes real-world impression and brings collectively researchers from a variety of fields — engineering, training, communication and the humanities. These numerous views enriched my analysis and helped me suppose extra holistically about expertise’s position in society.
Qiu’s analysis sits on the intersection of human-computer interplay and digital well being intervention design. He has at all times been pushed by the will to create analysis with tangible, optimistic impression — particularly in areas that enhance human wellbeing.
Working within the WHI Lab gave Qiu the chance to design programs that immediately assist underserved populations.
“Seeing our work positively affect people’s lives — especially those living with chronic conditions — was deeply rewarding,” he mentioned. “Long term, I hope to continue advancing personalized health systems in industry or research settings.”
In the WHI Lab, Qiu targeted on designing and creating data-driven, conversational programs to assist each bodily and psychological well being. He led initiatives that use good audio system to ship tailor-made well being innovations, one supporting girls dwelling with breast most cancers and one other offering individualized cognitive stimulation remedy for individuals with dementia.
“These projects have been well-received both in academic circles and among the patient populations we worked with,” Qiu mentioned.
Now, he’s a analysis scientist at Meta, the place he works on state-of-the-art promoting rating fashions.
“My team aims to deliver personalized ad experiences to users while maintaining a high-quality overall user experience on the platform,” he mentioned. “Meta is an excellent environment for learning, with access to world-class engineers.”
Looking forward, Qiu’s long-term purpose is to return to the well being tech house — ideally working with an progressive firm that focuses on enhancing public well being and wellness by way of expertise.
“The College of IST offers a rich, interdisciplinary environment that’s ideal for students who want to make a real-world impact,” Qiu mentioned. “One of the most valuable things I did during my time there was to build relationships with peers and professors from different disciplines—those collaborations provided both academic insight and personal growth.”