Zhuoran (Elara) Liu

I am Elara Liu, currently a second-year MSCS student at Northwestern University, where I am advised by Dr. Karan Ahuja and Dr. Haoqi Zhang. I previously earned a B.S. in Computer Science and Informatics from UC Irvine. My background combines technical system building with a deep sensitivity to user context, allowing me to bridge the gap between computational capabilities and human needs.

My research sits at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Health Informatics, and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). I study how human-centered intelligent systems can support collaborative decision-making in everyday health. My work is organized around three strategic directions: (i) ensuring agentic AI systems remain value-aligned and transparent; (ii) synthesizing partial perspectives into a shared understanding for patients and clinicians; and (iii) minimizing the cognitive load of health technologies for users with diverse levels of literacy.

Driven by a commitment to equity, I employ mixed-methods approaches to design systems that support, rather than burden, vulnerable stakeholders. I am currently seeking PhD positions for Fall 2026 to further investigate how we can build intelligent interfaces that honor the complexity of care work.