CHCI welcomes four new faculty affiliates!

Ryan McMahan is joining us as Deputy Director of CHCI. Ryan is a “four-time Hokie” having received his BS, MS, and PhD from Virginia Tech, and has now returned as a Professor in the Department of Computer Science.

He also directs the Xrai (“X-ray") Lab at VT, which focuses on the integration of Extended Reality and Artificial Intelligence technologies. Prior to joining VT in Fall 2024, Dr. McMahan was an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Central Florida (UCF), and prior to that, he was an Associate Professor of Computer Science and of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). He is a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award recipient and has served as Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG) and the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies (IJHCS).

Dan Dunlap has been affiliated with Virginia Tech and CHCI since the late 1990s, and we are glad to formally add him to the official list of CHCI faculty affiliates! 

Dan's research and teaching interests are centered around the social and ethical impacts of computing. Since 2000, he has developed and taught CS3604 Professionalism in Computing in collaboration with CS faculty members. He joined CHCI in 1998, following a role as an academic advisor in Interdisciplinary Studies. He served as a full-time Research Scientist at CHCI, where he managed and contributed to several large NSF grant projects. As a graduate student, Dan explored collaborative computing in K-12 classrooms.

Manhua Wang recently graduated with her PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering department at Virginia Tech , under the supervision of Philart Jeon, and is now working as a post-doc at VTTI.  She is a passionate UX researcher with a background in Psychology and Human Factors Engineering, and experience in future automobile, XR interaction, library service, and information technology.

Manhua says, "My research focuses on optimizing the human-technology partnership in the context of automation systems and promoting health technologies to empower autistic adults in the workplace. Examples include investigating in-vehicle intelligent agents and explainable displays to facilitate human understanding of automated vehicles and exploring collaboration patterns between autistic and non-autistic adults in in-person and online assembling tasks. I have been affiliated with CHCI throughout my PhD journey at Virginia Tech, during which time I have learned about HCI research outside of my domain through invited speakers and student symposiums. This community has also supported my research and provided a platform to showcase my outcomes. I would love to continue staying connected with the CHCI community to learn and contribute as a faculty affiliate.”

Hongrui Yu is an assistant professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering. She completed her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at the University of Michigan. She holds an M.S. in civil and environmental engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2019 and an M.S. in Robotics from the University of Michigan in 2024.  Her work is about equipping construction robots with the necessary craft skills with imitation learning, cloud robotics, and virtual reality. Her work shapes an ergonomic and inclusive robotic construction future for workers who have diverse physical capabilities and educational backgrounds. 

Hongrui says, "My work enables human-robot symbiotic and interactive collaboration in unstructured construction environments to enhance worker safety, occupational health, and productivity. Overall, my work contributed to the technical and social aspects of HCI research in modern construction. Its unique yet comprehensive sensorimotor learning framework and interaction interfaces enable seamless cooperation between human workers and robots. This work ultimately improves the perceived usefulness and acceptance of AI and Robotics technology in the construction industry.”