Prospective PhD Students

I am looking for PhD students to start in Fall 2026.

What I’m Looking For

I would love to work with PhD students who are:

Curious about people and technology

You’re not just interested in how systems work, but in how they shape people’s lives, relationships, and opportunities.
Motivated by making an impact

You want your research to make a difference, whether that means empowering children, supporting older adults, designing for families, or building technologies that promote safety, trust, creativity, and transparency.
Experienced with (or excited to learn) research methods

Whether your background is in computer science, design, information, psychology, education, or another field, you should be eager to ask thoughtful questions and use appropriate methods: interviews, experiments, survey, or participatory design, to answer them.

I value curiosity, reflection, resilience, and collaboration. If you have ideas that connect to human–computer interaction (HCI), safety, privacy, AI, or technology and society, or even push beyond those boundaries, let's chat!

What I’d Like to Know About You

If you’re interested in working with me, please make sure to highlight:

Your background and experiences

What kinds of projects or experiences shaped how you think about people, technology, and research? What skills or perspectives do you bring that could help you explore these questions?
Your motivation for pursuing a PhD

What do you hope to learn or achieve during your PhD journey? How are you preparing for it, and why do you think this is the right path for you right now?
Your research interests and curiosity

What kinds of problems or communities do you want to work with? What motivates those interests? They don’t need to perfectly align with my current work. I’m open to mentoring students who want to build something new.

When You Reach Out

I am always interested in hearing from talented prospective students. If you are interested in working with me, feel free to send me an email first before applying and include:

Your CV
A short statement (1 page or less) describing your interests and what excites you about research
(Optional) A link to a project, portfolio, or publication

Email: kaiwsun@iu.edu

Subject line: “Prospective PhD Student – [Your Name]”

Please Note: My Reply Process

I receive a large number of emails from prospective students and unfortunately cannot reply to every one. I do read all messages, and if your experience and research interests seem to be a strong match for my lab, I will contact you for a chat, although my response might be slow.

If we speak and I encourage you to apply, the formal application is through the PhD program in the Department of Informatics, Indiana University Bloomington. At that stage, you should mention my name in your application.