Ester Chen

Ester Chen

RIT

Thanks for stopping by!

I’m a Ph.D. student in Computing & Information Sciences at the Rochester Institute of Technology, affiliated with the Center for Accessibility and Inclusion Research (CAIR) and the Vis-Assistive Technology (Vis-AT) Research Group. My work sits at the intersection of HCI, accessibility, assistive technology, and visualization. I design, build, and evaluate tools and interactive systems that reduce barriers in digital spaces, and I study how people interpret visual data in contexts such as healthcare and media. Away from research, you’ll find me on a racquetball court, in a canoe, or making music.

🔥 News

  • 2025.06: 🎉 New paper accepted by ACM CSCW 2025 in Bergen🇳🇴. “Effect of AI Performance, Risk Perception, and Trust on Human Dependence in Deepfake Detection AI system”

  • 2025.05: 📖 Successfully passed the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam.

  • 2024.11: 🎉 New paper accepted by AAAI ICWSM 2025 in Copenhagen🇩🇰. “A Study of Training Strategies on Enhancing Human Detection of AI-Synthesized Faces”

  • 2024.08: 📖 Joined RIT to pursue a Ph.D. in Computing and Information Sciences under the supervision of Advisor Hidy.

  • 2024.05: 🎓 Graduated from Penn State with an M.Sc. in Informatics under the supervision of Advisor Jack.

  • 2023.09: 🎉 Presented poster at ANFA 2023 in San Diego🇺🇸. “Impact of Virtual Reality Navigation on Emotional Responses to Virtual Architectural Environments.”

📖 Educations

  • 2024.08 - Present, Ph.D. Student in Computing and Info. Sciences, Golisano College of Computing, Rochester Institute of Technology, United States
  • 2024.05, M.Sc. Informatics, College of Information Sciences and Technology, Penn State University - University Park, United States
  • 2019.09, Term Exchange, Department of Computer Engineering, University of Warwick, United Kingdom
  • 2021.06, B.Sc. Mathematics, School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Western Ontario, Canada

💻 Apprenticeships