Leah Chong

Hi, I am a design researcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, working in the Ideation Lab (PI: Dr. Maria Yang). Prior to MIT, I received a PhD and MS both in Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (Advisors: Dr. Jonathan Cagan and Dr. Kenneth Kotovsky) and a BS in Mechanical Engineering at Rice University.

My research primarily focuses on human-AI collaboration in engineering design. I am interested in:
   1) Understanding how the integration of computational tools/agents in the engineering design process affects the way designers think, feel, and make creative decisions,
   2) Exploring opportunities for complementary partnership between human designers and AI to enable effective and human-centered design.

Starting Spring 2025, I will be joining the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at UT Austin as an assistant professor.

I am actively seeking motivated students (undergrad, MS, PhD) to join my research group. If you are interested in joining, please email me at leah.chong@austin.utexas.edu including the following information:
* Your up-to-date CV
* Specific descriptions of the research idea you have/would like to work on that relates to my research area
* The position you are seeking and whether you are seeking a funded or unfunded position