Zihan Wu武子涵

Hello! I’m Zihan Wu. I am an Assistant Professor at University of Maine, School of Computing and Information Science (SCIS). I lead the Puffin lab 🐧 (participation, understanding, feedback, and interaction for novices) at SCIS.
My research lies at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Computing Education Research (CER). I integrate learning theories from CER with human-centered design methods from HCI to create engaging, scalable, and effective educational tools, especially for computing. To evaluate these tools, I employ both qualitative lab studies and large-scale classroom or field studies. My work has been published in top venues in both fields, including CHI and ICER.

I earned my Ph.D. from University of Michigan, School of Information (UMSI) , advised by Dr. Barbara Ericson. Prior to UMSI, I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Technology from Tsinghua University.

At University of Maine, I teach courses for the Human-Centered Technology Design program, including HCD 101 - Introduction to Human-Centered Design (fall 2025). At University of Michigan, I have taught both introductory and advanced computing courses, including undergraduate Web Development, graduate Data Manipulation, and graduate Data Mining as a graduate student instructor.

I am recruiting PhD students to start in Fall 2026. If you’re a prospective PhD student interested in my research, please feel free to reach out via email with your CV and a brief description of your research interests. I'd be happy to chat!
If you are an undergraduate or graduate student interested in working as an research assistant at Puffin Lab 🐧, please fill out this interest form.