Hi, i'm
Chau Vu
A software engineer and HCI researcher from Los Angeles and Hanoi. Senior undergraduate ('26) studying Computer Science at Pomona College.
Both an academic and a programmer at heart, I look to combine my theoretical and technical background. My research dives across the full tech cycle from shipping and evaluating AI-powered systems to developing theoretical frameworks that inspire the next ones. I work towards human-centered AI that enhance our abilities and well-being.
Beyond research, I also worked on optimizing industry-scale 3D graphics at Microsoft. Honored to have published and received Best Paper awards at premier research venues for Human-Computer Interaction including UIST and ACM CHI.
Publications
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Computational Scaffolding of Composition, Value, and Color for Disciplined Drawing
Jiaju Ma, Chau Vu*, Asya Lyubavina*, Catherine Liu, Jingyi Li.
Best Paper (Top 1%) at UIST 2025
Details -
Understanding Temporality of Reflection in Personal Informatics through Baby Tracking
Julianne Louie*, Tara Mukund*, Chau Vu* , Daniel Epstein, and Alexandra Papoutsaki.
Honorable Mention Best Paper (Top 5%) at CHI 2025
Details
Industry
Microsoft
Software Engineering Intern
May - Aug 2025
I spent my 2025 summer in the beautiful Microsoft Redmond campus, working on state-of-the-art GPU-powered ray-tracing features.
github page (inspired by a sakura forest)
Awards
Research awards
I'm honored to have published and received Best Paper awards at premier academic conferences in human-computer interaction (See Publications above). My work would not have been possible without the support of my advisors at Pomona College & UC Irvine: Prof. Alexandra Papoutsaki, Prof. Jingyi Li, Prof. Daniel Epstein, and collaborators at Stanford University (PhD Jiaju Ma).
Google Product Inclusive & Equity Summit Winner (2023)
Among 60 student leaders at the first Google Product Inclusion & Equity Summit.
Rockoff Foundation Research Fellowship (2023)
I co-host the symposium "History of Assistive Technologies" with Professor Angelina Chin, Pomona History Department.
Other academic awards
2022 - Pomona International Scholarship (the highest scholarship covering the full cost of the undergraduate program)
2025 - CRA Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher in North America (1 of 8 awardees)
Programming
I love building and stay hands-on with programming across my projects, whether research- or non-research-related. Visit GitHub for a full list of my projects here.
Misc
Outside of work, you will find me thrifting, gyming, getting lost in movies (check out my Letterboxd), or vlogging with my digicam when I travel (IG: @whereschau).