Peizhu "Pam" Qian
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Human-centered AI
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AI for Education & Healthcare
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AI for Workforce Training
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Human-robot Interaction (HRI)
Welcome!
You can call me Pam! Or Professor Pam, Professor Qian, Dr. Qian, if you prefer a more formal title.
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I am a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
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My group works on AI for workforce training, education, and healthcare to empower workers with skill training, upskilling, skill evaluation, and onboarding.​
Updates​
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Apr 2025: Our paper "ASTRID: A Robotic Tutor for Nursing Training to Reduce Healthcare-Associated Infections" is accepted to RSS 2025. I am also selected as an RSS Pioneer.
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Mar 2025: I accepted the offer from the University of Houston and will be joining as a tenure-track assistant professor this August! What a journey!
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Feb 2025: I am presenting at CU Boulder's robotics colloquium.
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Feb 2025: I am presenting at the University of Houston's computer science seminar.
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Feb 2025: I am presenting at Dartmouth College's cognitive science lecture. ​
My Story​
I was born and raised in Beijing, China, and moved to the States when I was 16. I went to a boarding school in northern California, then college in Boston. I moved to Houston in 2019 to pursue my Ph.D. in computer science at Rice University, then was extremely lucky to get a position at the University of Houston upon completing my Ph.D. in 2025 to stay around.
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I had always known that I wanted to become a professor from a young age because of Grandma. My grandma is a prestigious English professor in China who taught for over 50 years, and is still working today. Growing up, I saw how much impact she had on her students, particularly as a female in academia. Today, I am fulfilling my childhood dream and carrying on the torch to educate the next generation of leaders and thinkers.
Rowing & Crossfit
Outside of work, I row crew and do crossfit. I developed my love for rowing during my undergrad time with Simmons Crew in Boston, MA. I loved kicking off my day with a great row and working out with a group of dedicated and hardworking people. ​In grad school, I continued to row at Rice University, where I served as team captain for two years and helped rebuild the rowing program after COVID-19. ​
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*video credit to Daniel Portal Studio.