NLP · HUMAN-CENTERED AI · UBC
Zining (Annie)
Wang.
Across languages.
Closer to people.
Master’s Student in Computer Science
University of British Columbia
ABOUT
Research
statement.
I study and develop human-centered, socio-technical AI systems that support epistemic equity and human well-being. I investigate how multilingual models can surface underrepresented knowledge across languages, addressing the limitations of current systems that privilege dominant perspectives and languages. At the same time, I explore how AI can engage people through emotionally expressive, adaptive interactions, re-framing AI not just as a computational tool, but as a medium for cultural inclusion, transparency and empathy.
RESEARCH
Research interests.
Language, knowledge, and the human experience.
Multilingual AI
Investigating how multilingual models can surface underrepresented knowledge across languages, addressing the limitations of current systems that privilege dominant perspectives.
Expressive & Adaptive AI
Designing emotionally expressive, adaptive AI systems that foster transparency and empathy, reframing AI not only as a computational tool but also as a medium for cultural inclusion and human connection.
PUBLICATIONS
Selected writing.
"WikiGap: Promoting Epistemic Equity by Surfacing Knowledge Gaps Between English Wikipedia and Other Language Editions"
Zining Wang, Yuxuan Zhang, Dongwook Yoon, Nicholas Vincent, Farhan Samir, Vered Shwartz
Under review at ACM CSCW, 2026
View on arXiv"Ain't Misbehavin': Using LLMs to Generate Expressive Robot Behavior"
Zining Wang, Paul Reisert, Eric Nichols, Randy Gómez
ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), 2024
View on ACM Digital Library"Are Neural Representation Learning Methods a Viable Alternative to TMLE for Causal Estimation?"
Mohammad Ehsanul Karima, Zining Wang
accepted manuscript in Data Science in Science
Manuscript link forthcomingEXPERIENCE
Where I’ve worked.
Graduate Student Researcher
UBC NLP Lab & Vector Institute of AI
Vancouver, BC
- Designing benchmarks to evaluate multilingual LLMs' ability to generalize facts across languages
- Applying causal inference to identify and measure cross-lingual knowledge gaps
- Developed WikiGap, a system that surfaces factual disparities across Wikipedia editions to promote cross-cultural awareness and transparency
Natural Language Processing Research Intern
Honda Research Institute Japan Co., Ltd.
Saitama, Japan
- Built large-scale datasets for emotion recognition in text
- Designed label schemes tailored for social robotics, improving alignment between human affect and robot behavior
- Investigated methods for integrating NLP models into emotionally expressive robotic interactions
Data Scientist Intern
Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC
- Developed knowledge graphs to support clinical research data integration
- Automated survey workflows to improve efficiency in large-scale clinical studies
- Conducted data analysis to guide improvements in survey design and patient engagement
Database Developer
Digital Solutions, UBC Faculty of Medicine
Vancouver, BC
- Implemented automated data pipelines to facilitate metadata sharing across thousands of clinical studies
- Built interactive dashboards for research administration and resource allocation
SIDE PROJECTS
Beyond my research.
LLM-based Chatbot for Stress Detection and Regulation
- Developed an LLM-powered conversational agent for stress detection and adaptive mental health support
- Integrated principles from cognitive behavioral therapy to ground model responses in evidence-based techniques
Differentially Private Synthetic Data Generation for Time Series
- Designed methods for generating realistic synthetic time-series data under differential privacy constraints
- Combined deep learning architectures with formal privacy guarantees to balance utility and protection
Education
University of British Columbia (UBC)
Vancouver, BC
• M.Sc. in Computer Science (Sep 2024 – Present)
• B.Sc. in Computer Science & Statistics (Sep 2019 – May 2024)
Teaching & Mentorship
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant – Natural Language Processing
UBC
Sep 2023 – Dec 2023- Supported 80+ students in implementing NLP algorithms for tasks such as classification, sequence tagging, and question answering
- Assisted with course assessment design and grading, providing feedback to reinforce student learning outcomes
Technical Director (Pro Bono)
Women in Data Science Association at UBC
May 2022 – Jan 2023- Organized bi-weekly workshops on data science, applied mathematics, and visualization for 200+ participants
- Mentored 10+ students, supporting their academic growth and professional development in STEM