Yilang Zhao (he/him/his)
Assistant Professor of Educational Data Science
Assistant Professor
COUNSELING, SCHOOL AND EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
Specialty/Research Focus
Educational data science; data science education; computational research methods; mixed research methods; natural language processing; machine learning; artificial intelligence in education; design-based research; constructionism
Professional Summary:
Dr. Yilang Zhao is an Assistant Professor of Educational Data Science at University at Buffalo, SUNY. Before joining UB, he was a postdoctoral research associate at University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He earned my Ph. D. in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Wisconsin–Madison with a minor in Educational Psychology. He also holds an M.A. in Media and Information from Michigan State University and a B.E. in the Internet of Things from Wuhan University of Technology.
His research interests encompass a wide range, including but not limited to data science education, design-based research, learning analytics, educational data mining, constructionism, embodied cognition, and game-based learning. He uses computational mixed methods throughout his research and is keen on exploring new research methods. He is always open to new topics and techniques that unpack the underlying processes of and the dynamics of people's learning. Outside academia, He enjoys activities that allow him to embrace Mother Nature; hiking and fishing are his favorites.
Education and Training:
- PhD, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Design, Informal, and Creative Education (DICE); Minor in Educational Psychology – Learning Sciences (2023)
- MA, Michigan State University, Media and Information (2017)
- Graduate Certificate in Serious Game Design and Research, Michigan State University (2017)
- BE, Wuhan University of Technology, the Internet of Things (2015)
Recent Publications:
Journal Article:
- Zhao, Y., & Nathan, M. J. (2025). Learning vector addition using concreteness fading: the role of gesture production. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10749039.2025.2548876
- Zhao, Y. (2024). From Tiles to Worksheet: Exploring Concreteness Fading in Learning Vector Addition. Education Sciences, 14(7), Article 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14070730
- Zhao, Y., Bertling, J., Hodge, L., & Dyer, E. (2024). Bridging Data and Art: Investigating Data-Art Connections in a Data-Art Inquiry Program. Journal of Science Education and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-024-10166-0
Recent Presentations:
Conferences:
- Hodge, L. & Zhao, Y. (2024, July). Creating Space for Data, Art, and Stories: Student-created Data Visualizations for Community Learning [Poster]. Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME) Annual Conference 47. Auckland, New Zealand.;
- Pignataro, E., Zhao, Y. (2025, February). This Matters: Youth Probing Community Issues with Artistic Data Visualization [Individual Showcase]. Data Science Education K-12: Research to Practice Conference. San Antonio, TX.;
- Zhao, Y. & Hodge, L. (2025, April). What People Eat: Youth Telling Data Stories through Critical Data Visualization Reading. In Chao, T., Decolonizing Mathematics Education Through Storytelling: A Tool for Exploring Identity, Justice, and Community. [Structured Poster Session]. American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting 2025. Denver, CO.;
- Zhao, Y. (2024, November). Connecting Data Science and Arts: Exploring Data-Art Integration in a Data-Art Inquiry Program [Poster]. The North American chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME-NA) Annual Conference 46. Cleveland, OH.;
- Zhao, Y., Bertling, J., & Dyer, E. (2024). Exploring Youth’s Data Reasoning with Data Visualization [Poster]. In Lindgren, R., Asino, T. I., Kyza, E. A., Looi, C. K., Keifert, D. T., & Suárez, E. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 18th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2024 (pp. 2323-2324). International Society of the Learning Sciences.;
Recent Activities:
Editorial and Review:
- Peer reviewer: American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting 2026 (Div D, SIG-RME, SIG-LS, SIG-ILER, SIG-Rural Education). Los Angeles, CA. 2025.
08/01/2025-09/01/2025 - Peer reviewer: ACM COMPASS 2025. Toronto, Canada.
05/01/2025-05/15/2025 - Peer reviewer: International Society of Learning Science Annual Conference 2025. Helsinki, Finland.
01/01/2025-01/31/2025 - Peer reviewer: American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting 2025 (SIG-LS, SIG-RME). Denver, CO. 2024.
08/01/2024-08/31/2024 - Peer reviewer: ACM Interaction Design and Children (IDC’ 24) Conference. Netherlands. 2024.
02/15/2024-02/29/2024