Over the past two years, I have had the opportunity to lead two projects and mentor about 20 undergraduate students across both projects. I designed and conducted user studies, performed system implementation, Bayesian data analysis, robot software and hardware design, and research paper writing with Dr. Han’s guidance. During this period, I contributed to two short papers and a full paper. I am deeply grateful for the mentorship of Dr. Zhao Han and the collaboration with my labmates. My experience in the RARE Lab has been a unique journey that has helped me build a strong foundation in research skills. I sincerely wish the RARE Lab continued success in the future!
— 1/7/2026
Hi, I am Xiangfei Kong! I am a Computer Science and Engineering Ph.D. student at the University of South Florida and joined the RARE Lab in October 2023 as a M.S. student. I completed my Bachelor of Arts degree from Qufu Normal University in China and my dual M.S. in Marketing and Computer Science from USF. In addition, I received a Pathway to Computing Graduate Certificate in Spring 2023 before transitioning from marketing to CS.
My main research interest is leveraging augmented reality (AR) for the replicability and reproducibility of empirical experiment results. Specifically, I am investigating whether AR virtual robots can be a possible replacement for physical robots in some empirical research focusing on subjective experience.
— 7/20/2025
