Yaxuan (Shelly) Yin

PhD Candidate
University of Wisconsin-Madison in Information Science
yaxuan.yin@ wisc.edu

Biography

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👋 Hi, I'm Yaxuan
I am a PhD candidate in Information Science at the Collaborative Computing Group (MadCollab) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I am advised by Dr. Jacob Thebault-Spieker. My research lies at the intersection of social computing and human-computer interaction. I study disparities in upstream data production within socio-technical systems—such as Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, and Airbnb—focusing on cultural and geographical contexts. On the downstream side, I investigate how these upstream disparities influence language model–powered applications and explore computational interventions to promote equity. Prior to my PhD, I earned a Master’s degree in Urban Informatics and Data Science from New York University.

News

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Publication

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1. Productivity or Equality? Tradeoffs in Volunteer Microtasking in Humanitarian OpenStreetMap.
   Yaxuan Yin, Longjie Guo, Jacob Thebault-Spieker.
   In Proceedings of ACM Conference On Computer‑Supported Cooperative Work And Social Computing (CSCW’24)
   Source   |   Full PDF

2. The Effect of Population Density on Remote Humanitarian Mapping Activities: A Triple‑Difference Analysis.
   Yaxuan Yin, Jacob Thebault-Spieker.
   In Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Computer‑Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW’25)
   Source  |  Full PDF

3. Beyond “Geo” HCI: Exploring Cultural Dimensions of Disparity in OpenStreetMap Road Safety Metadata.
   Yaxuan Yin, Jacob Thebault-Spieker.
   In Proceedings of ACM Conference On Computer‑Supported Cooperative Work And Social Computing (CSCW’25)
   Source   |   Full PDF

4. Toward Teacher‐Centered AI Design: Exploring the Role of Pedagogical Values and Contextual Factors in K‐12 Teachers’ Perceptions of Responsible AI. 🏅Best Papers Nominees
   Yaxuan Yin, Shamya Karumbaiah, Ju Lim, Shona Acquaye, Sara Schwartz.
   In Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL'25).
   Source   |   Full PDF

5. AIBAT: AI Behavior Analysis Tool for Teacher-Driven Contextual Evaluation of Language Models in Education. 🏅Best Papers Nominees
   Shamya Karumbaiah, Yaxuan Yin, Aayush Bharadwaj.
   In Proceedings of the 26th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED'25)
   Source   |   Full PDF

6. Responsible AI in Education: Understanding Teachers’ Priorities and Contextual Challenges.
   Yaxuan Yin, Shamya Karumbaiah, Shona Acquaye.
   In Proceedings of ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (FAccT’25)
   Source   |   Full PDF

Referred Posters, Works-in-Progress, and Workshop Paper

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1. Understanding Perceptions of the Reddit Reaction Mechanism in Political Subreddits.
   Longjie Guo, Yaxuan Yin, Jacob Thebault-Spieker.
   In Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Computer‑Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW’24) Extended Abstract
   Source  |  Full PDF

Awards, Fellowships, & Grants