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🍑 Tao Long (he/him)

Hi, I'm a fifth-year Computer Science PhD student at Columbia University, with a focus on human-computer interaction (HCI). I'm fortunate to be advised by Professor Lydia Chilton and part of the Columbia HCI group.

My research focuses on Interactive Human-Agent Alignment: helping people steer, monitor, and trust AI agents as they hand off real work. I design, build, and evaluate agentic productivity support tools (yeee🤠!!), from human-AI co-creation tools, to longitudinal deployments that test how these tools hold up over weeks of real use, to systems for coordinating and supervising AI agents. I am supported by a Capital One AI PhD Fellowship x2. I previously worked at Microsoft Research AI Frontiers and Autodesk Research. I earned my bachelor's summa cum laude from Cornell University in 2022, which unlocked the doors to research and teaching for me.

📌 Feb 2026: I know everyone’s journey to (or through) a PhD can be different or tough, so in 2026, one of my New Year's resolutions is to dedicate a few hours each week to chat and help as much as I can >> find a 1:1 slot to chat here ✨✨ <<

long@cs.columbia.edutwitter
g-scholarcv (Oct2026)

Conference Travel

Below is a list of recent conferences I’ve attended — with more personal travels logged on my travel log and Instagram @tao1ong - you can find links to those at the bottom of this page :) To be honest, this kind of travel is truly a privilege and a hidden perk I didn’t fully appreciate until a few years into my PhD — one of the best excuses to see the world in your 20s yay

Research

My Info/Sci and Communication background made me understand that technology has both communicative capacity and responsibility. Therefore, as designers and developers, we should speak, design, and build for those who can't. I am more than eager to learn and join exciting HCI/AI projects. Don't hesitate to reach out for collab :D

Teaching & Services

I enjoy teaching and service. My passion for teaching and socially impactful research significantly contributes to my decision to pursue a PhD and (possibly) an academic career in Computer Science. It helps me rethink myself, my role, and my responsibilities in better helping others with the resources I have. Always eager to contribute to new initiatives ;)

FA 2024   COMS W4156: Advanced Software Engineering (w/ Gail Kaiser)

FA 2024   COMS E6998: Design for Generative AI (w/ Lydia Chilton)

SP 2024   COMS W4170: User Interface Design (w/ Lydia Chilton)

SP 2024   COMS BC3997: Applied Computing: Research and Industry Perspectives (w/ Brian Plancher)

FA 2023   COMS E6998: Design for Emerging Technologies (w/ Lydia Chilton)

FA 2022   COMS 6998: Advanced Web Design Studio (w/ Lydia Chilton)

SP 2022   INFO 4400: Qualitative User Research and Design Methods (w/ Gilly Leshed)

FA 2021   INFO 3450: Human-Computer Interaction Design (w/ Gilly Leshed)

SP 2021   INFO 2300: Intermediate Design and Programming for Web (w/ Kyle Harms)



Conference Reviewer @   CHI, IUI, DIS, UIST, C&C, CSCW, FAccT, GROUP, TEI, CHI PLAY (total 100 submissions, 13 review awards)

Conference Organizer @   UIST 2024–2026 Web Chair, North East Agents Day 2026, IUI 2025–2026 PC, C&C 2025–2026 PC, CHI 2024/2025 Late-Breaking Work PC, DIS 2024 Session Chair

Conference Volunteer @   UIST 2024, CHI 2024, DIS 2024, CSCW 2023, CHI 2023, EMNLP 2022, CSCW 2022, TEI 2022



PhD Representative @   Columbia CS Department

Lead Organizer @   Columbia HCI & Columbia HCI Seminars

Lead Organizer @   Pre-Application Review Program for PhD Applicants   (video)   (news)

Vice President @   qSTEM at Columbia University   (linktree)

Mentor @   Columbia Undergraduate Research Experiences in Mathematical Modeling (CSUREMM) Program

Mentor @   Women in Science at Columbia (WISC) Undergraduate Mentoring Program

Fellow @   Social Justice Mini-Grant Grantee & Recipient (PI, $1500) University Life and Columbia University   (grantee profile)

Fellow @   Teaching Fellow at Columbia University Center for Teaching and Learning

Fellow @   Lead Teaching Fellow at Columbia University Center for Teaching and Learning

Fellow @   Kraft Global Fellow at Kraft Family Fund and Columbia University   (news)

Fellow @   CRA Grad Cohort for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Leadership Skills (CRA-IDEALS)

Awardee @   PhD Service Award at Columbia University   (news)

Undergrad Member @   Grad Students for Gender Inclusion in Computing at Cornell University

Undergrad Worker @   Technical Project Coordinator at Cornell Information Technologies

Undergrad Worker @   Café Jennie at Cornell University

Miscs

Music Log (i listened to 127,335 mins of music last year...)
  • 55% Mandopop:

    Tanya Chua 蔡健雅, Yanzi Sun 孙燕姿, Jolin Tsai 蔡依林, Hebe Tien 田馥甄, Deserts Chang 張懸, Penny Tai 戴佩妮, Sandy Lam 林憶蓮, Lala Hsu 徐佳瑩

  • 25% Kpop:

    IU 이지은, IVE 아이브, TWICE 트와이스, Stella Jang 장성은, Sunmi 이선미, XG, NewJeans 뉴진스, BOL4 볼빨간 사춘기

  • 20% Pop (?):

    Lady Gaga, Tate McRae, Addison Rae, Ariana Grande, Gracie Abrams, Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo, Lana Del Rey, The Weepies



Travel Log (escape ithaca/NYC once a month!)
  • 4th year phd in the big apple...
    • [03/2026] ...
    • [02/2026] Washington DC + Palo Alto, CA
    • [01/2026] Gainesville, VA
    • [12/2025] Shenzhen, China (im crazy... 10 transpacific flights this year wtf)
    • [11/2025] San Francisco, CA (Meta PhD Forum lol so flattered to be invited) + Tokyo, Japan (again...)
    • [10/2025] Lhasa, China + Seoul, Busan Korea (uist 25! got my five-year F-1 visa)
    • [09/2025] Beijing, Shenzhen, China (to renew my F-1, nervous...)
    • [08/2025] NYC
    • [07/2025] Washington DC (flight got cancelled and we used up Chase's $1500 reimbursement plan lol!!!)
    • [06/2025] Ithaca, NY (took my parents to Cornell so they could see where the tuition went)
  • 3rd year phd in the big apple...
    • [05/2025] New Haven, CT (parents in NYC for the whole summer duh)
    • [04/2025] Yokohama, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Japan (chi 25 and a one-month recovery trip)
    • [03/2025] Palo Alto, CA (spring break!)
    • [02/2025] NYC
    • [01/2025] Shenzhen, Chengdu, Jiuzhaigou, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, China
    • [12/2024] Taipei, Taiwan (i love this island so much... i know why people wanna rule it lol jk!!!)
    • [11/2024] NYC (chill...)
    • [10/2024] Pittsburgh, PA (uist 24!)
    • [09/2024] NYC, NY (so happy to be back hahahahahahaha)
    • [08/2024] Shenzhen, Changsha, Shanghai, Suzhou China (back home to renew my F-1 but got administrative processing -- bummer)
    • [07/2024] Copenhagen, Denmark (dis 24, first time in europe!!!)
    • [06/2024] San Francisco, CA (my autodesk internship startssss -- sad that i didnt get my canadian visa on time to work in Toronto)
  • 2nd year phd in the big apple...
    • [05/2024] Honolulu, Hawaiʻi (chi 24!)
    • [04/2024] Minneapolis, MN (cra ideals 24!) & Durham, NC
    • [03/2024] Manassas, VA
    • [02/2024] Palo Alto, CA (havent been with my family for lunar new year for 6 years!)
    • [01/2024] Palo Alto, CA
    • [12/2023] Miami, FL + Caribbean Sea (family vacay! cruise!)
    • [11/2023] San Francisco, CA (uist 23!)
    • [10/2023] Minneapolis, MN (cscw 23!)
    • [07-09/2023] NYC SAD! I miss traveling :(
    • [06/2023] Delavan, WI (hcic 23!) & Waterloo, ON (iccc 23 virtual...thank u! amazing Canada visa officers🕯️RIP)
  • 1st year phd in the big apple...
    • [05/2023] Durham, NC
    • [04/2023] Manassas, VA (chi 23 virtual...)
    • [03/2023] Honolulu, Hawaiʻi (cra ideals 23!)
    • [02/2023] Washington, DC (aaai 23!)
    • [01/2023] Nairobi, Kenya (kraft global fellow)
    • [12/2022] Manassas, VA
    • [11/2022] Pittsburgh, PA (cscw 22 virtual... also tried to date someone there lol)
    • [10/2022] Raleigh, NC
    • [09/2022] Miami, FL (gaga concert!)
    • [08/2022] Palo Alto, CA (family reunion!)
    • [07/2022] Ithaca, NY
    • [06/2022] Manassas, VA
  • senior year in ithaca...
    • [05/2022] New York, NY (my graduation!)
    • [04/2022] Miami, FL
    • [03/2022] Chicago, IL
    • [02/2022] New York, NY
    • [01/2022] Washington, DC
    • [12/2021] Manassas, VA
    • [11/2021] Boston, MA
    • [10/2021] Winston-Salem, NC
    • [09/2021] New York, NY
    • [08/2021] Gainesville, VA
    • [07/2021] Washington, DC (July 4 fireworks!)
    • [06/2021] New York, NY
Flight Log (~200 flights)

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Foodie Log (see @dr_dietcoke)
Mood Log (see this doc)
Dance Log (kpop cover dance!)
@iamtaolong 💖wonyoung in the studio #ive #wonyoung #elevenchallenge #nyc #phdstudent ♬ original sound - taotao
@iamtaolong 💚wonyoung in the office #ive #wonyoung #afterlikechallenge #nyc #phdstudent ♬ original sound - taotao


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