Shumeng Zhang

I am seeking outreach and postdoctoral fellowship opportunities in Design, Human–Computer Interaction, or technology-based art. My work centers on participatory design with minority communities, educators, and artists. The current work brings together accessible computing, music, and performance art to support human–AI co-creation and music learning in real-world contexts. I conduct longitudinal studies and prototype deployments to advance social inclusion, accessibility, and the visibility of underrepresented communities.

Visiting Researcher

University of Trento · Trento, Italy

Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science

• GPA: 3.86 / 4.00

Ph.D. Candidate in Computational Media and Arts

HKUST(GZ) · Guangzhou/Hong Kong SAR, China

Information

• GPA: 3.86 / 4.00

MPhil Transit to Ph.D. in Computational Media and Arts

HKUST(GZ) · Guangzhou/Hong Kong SAR, China

Information

• GPA: 3.86 / 4.00

Master of Science in Design, Major in Industrial Design

Arizona State University · Tempe, U.S.

• GPA: 3.73 / 4.00

Bachelor of Arts, Major in Product Design

Wuhan University · Wuhan, China

• GPA: 3.26 / 4.00

Teaching Assistant

HKUST(GZ)

• Assisted with teaching and grading for the graduate course Interactive Music Systems Design and the undergraduate course Introduction to Experimental Animation.

Lecturer

Wuhan Donghu University

• Served as Lecturer in the School of Media and Art Design and the School of International Education, while also working as administrative staff in the International Exchange and Cooperation Office.
• Delivered Chinese–English bilingual instruction for the undergraduate course Animation Design.

UX Designer

Bright Dream Robotics -- Country Garden

• Designed and optimized online marketing applications through user research and iterative prototyping.
• Feng Huang Yun: Redesigned the homepage and detail pages, introduced customer-oriented tools, and increased the platform's conversion rate by 22%.
• Tong Meng Hui: Developed one-click customer acquisition features and CRM-supporting tools, improving purchase conversion by 10%.

Graphic Designer Intern

FiberHome Telecommunication Technologies Co., Ltd.

• Designed corporate brochures and business cards.

Teaching Assistant

Arizona State University

• Assisted with instruction and grading for the undergraduate course Design Awareness.

User Experience Designer Intern

Electronic Arts

• Contributed to the user interaction and experience design of a new game recommendation system.

FinHERtip: Embodied Identity and Human-AI Co-Creation in Accessible Musical Performance

Zhang, S.,* Liu, T.*, & Fan, M. (2025, December). SIGGRAPH Asia 2025 Art Papers

Accessibility and Social Inclusivity: A Literature Review of Music Technology for Blind and Low Vision People

Zhang, S., Masu, R., Bettega, M., & Fan, M. (2025, October). ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

Quantifying Structural Aesthetic Features and Personality Trait Preferences in Kai Shu Calligraphy

Liu, T., Ye, J., Zhang, S., Zhang, K., & Liang, C. (2025, October). ACM International Conference on Multimedia

InteRecon: Towards Reconstructing Interactivity of Personal Memorable Items in Mixed Reality

Li, Z., Li, J., Xiong, Z., Zhang, S., et al. (2025, April). CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Beadwork bridge: Understanding and exploring the opportunities of beadwork in enriching school education for blind and low vision (BLV) people

Zhang, S., Lin, W., Li, Z., Jiang, R., Liang, C., Fan, M., & Masu, R. (2024, October). ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

Exploring the impact of artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC) tools on social dynamics in UX collaboration

Wang, Z., Shen, L., Kuang, E., Zhang, S., & Fan, M. (2024, July). ACM designing interactive systems conference

Toward making virtual reality (VR) more inclusive for older adults: investigating aging effect on target selection and manipulation tasks in VR

Wu, Z., Wang, D., Zhang, S., Huang, Y., Wang, Z., & Fan, M. (2024, May). CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

OdorV-Art: An initial exploration of an olfactory intervention for appreciating style information of artworks in virtual museum

Zhang, S., Wang, Z., Zhou, Y., Cui, H., Fu, S., Wang, Z., & Fan, M. (2023, September). International Symposium on Visual Information Communication and Interaction

How Does Design Affects Social Relation: A Case Study On Gamification Intervenes Long-Distance Romantic Relationship

Zhang, S. (2020). Creativity and Innovation

How Design Impacts the Social Environment: A Comparison Between Two Pet Cafes in China and the United States

Zhang, S., Bender, D., Lauren McDermott & Krysik, J. (2019). Master Thesis

Conference Program Committee Service

ASSETS 2026 Program Committee

Reviewing for conferences

Designing Interactive Systems (DIS '26), CHI '26, CHI '25, ICHEC '25

Undergraduate Thesis Advisor

Wuhan Donghu University

Supervised undergraduate capstone projects and graduation theses.

International Academic Lecture Series Organizer

Wuhan Donghu University

Organized the International Academic Lecture Series, coordinating speakers, schedule, and event logistics.

Recipient -- Overseas Research Award (ORA) at HKUST(GZ)

Recipient -- Overseas Research Travel Grant (RTG) at HKUST(GZ)

Participant -- Guangzhou-HKUST(GZ) Joint Funding Project

No.: 2024A03J0617

Participant -- CCF-Lenovo Blue Ocean Research Fund

No.: CCF-Lenovo OF 202302

Participant -- HKUST Practice Research: RBM talent cultivation exploration

No.: HKUST(GZ)-ROP2023030

Participant -- Guangzhou Science and Technology Program City-University Joint Funding Project

No.: 2023A03J0001

Second Prize & Charity Award in CCF Technology Charity Hackathon

Finalist in Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, by HKUST(GZ), founded by The University of Queensland

Postgraduate Studentship (PGS) awarded by HKUST(GZ)

The International Student Scholarship awarded by Arizona State University

The Excellent Prize in the 8th National Advertising Art Design Competition for College Students in Hubei Province

The Excellent Prize in the China Universities Industrial Design Competition in Hubei Province

The 3rd Scholarship in School of Urban Design

Excellent Student awarded by Wuhan University

Amateur 10 Grade of Zither awarded by Hubei Music Association

"Second Life" Sustainable Art Festival and Market

Invited Performer

Performed FinHertip --- a digital music interface co-designed by a blind and low-vision performer. The event was sponsored by the Guangdong Lingnan Educational Charity Foundation.

Interactive Music Concert

Invited Performer

Performed Abacus --- a digital music interface designed by me. The concert was sponsored by HKUST(GZ).

Magazine Write On Downtown

Graphic Designer

Published by Arizona State University & Changing Hands Bookstore. Worked as a graphic designer responsible for the Vol. 13 cover design, illustration, and layout.

Arizona Billboard Public Service Campaign

Graphic Designer

Led a graphic design team for a public service campaign sponsored by Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc.

STEM Outreach Lecturer

Tongren No. 1 High School

Designed and delivered two courses: (1) Introducing Large Language Models to Miao Embroidery Practices; (2) Human-AI Co-creates Original English Drama.

Minister

Department of Originality Design, Federation of Student Associations of Wuhan University

Led a 60-member creative team delivering visual identity, promotional materials, and stage design for university-wide student events.

Support Teacher

Jiuji Junior Middle School, Jiuji Town, Nanzhang County, Hubei Province

Volunteered as a support teacher, introducing students to basic art and design concepts and helping promote the value of arts education within the local community.

A new way to bring personal items to mixed reality

MIT News

Our research work about animating personal items in mixed reality InteRecon was reported on https://news.mit.edu/2025/interecon-brings-personal-items-to-mixed-reality-0407

Keep on writing on, downtown Phoenix

ASU News

Our designed magazine was reported on https://news.asu.edu/20190423-arizona-impact-keep-writing-downtown-phoenix

Zither, Guitar, Photography, Traveling, Painting, Cycling