Zhuoran (Elara) Liu

Hi, I’m Elara Liu, a second-year MSCS student at Northwestern University, advised by Dr. Karan Ahuja and Dr. Haoqi Zhang. I work at the intersection of Human–Computer Interaction, human-centered AI, and everyday health, building systems that support people living with chronic conditions and the caregivers and clinicians around them. I previously earned a B.S. in Computer Science and Informatics from UC Irvine.

My research asks how intelligent systems can turn the messy, everyday experience of chronic conditions—symptoms, energy, attention, routines, and risk—into shared, understandable, and actionable representations. I am especially motivated by the gap between the fragmented data we already collect in everyday life—wearables, apps and device logs, patient portals, and personal narratives—and the shared understanding patients, caregivers, and clinicians need to stay “on the same page.” Methodologically, I design and build interactive systems and interpretive tools that help people make sense of longitudinal health data and support reflection, coordination, and decision-making.

I care especially about the long-term safety, psychological impact, and governance of these systems: how they explain themselves, how they respect people’s goals and constraints, and when they should defer to human judgment and clinical care. I’m applying to Fall 2026 PhD programs in labs that blend HCI, human–AI interaction, and health and well-being across empirical studies, system design, and AI capabilities. If your group works at these intersections, I’d love to connect.