Bella
An Chen
Hi, I'm An (Bella) Chen
- Pronouns
- She/Her
- Favorite movie
- 《Interstellar》
- Family in Canada
- Me and my two cats!!!!
- Favorite activities
- Drawing, crafts, reading, volleyball, swimming, and taekwondo
- BTW
- I won the city-level taekwondo championship in the 54 kg division in 2016!!
I started learning Chinese painting when I was eight. But because I kept getting ink all over my face (much to everyone's despair), I switched to Western painting, and at 17 I went on to study it at a specialized art school. In high school, I realized I was more drawn to hands-on, practical work, so at 20 I chose industrial design for my bachelor's degree. There I worked on many projects related to human-computer interaction; I just didn't know yet that it was called HCI.
Luckily, in the summer of 2022 I received a summer internship offer from the AIR lab at Tsinghua University, where I learned HCI alongside a group of brilliant people. After that, I formally moved into HCI research, and I've been here ever since.
My research focuses on children with ADHD. It began when my younger brother was diagnosed with ADHD and I saw how expensive his neurofeedback training at the clinic was. I'm exploring how to make this kind of training more affordable and efficient, and how it can bring more well-being to children with ADHD.
Education Background
2024
Shandong university, China
Bachelor of Design
School of Mechanical Engineering
Product Design
NOW
University of Waterloo, Canada
PhD student of Mathematics
cheriton school of computer science
Computer Science
Work Experience
Teaching Assistant, University of Waterloo (2024-2026)
Courses:
2026: GBDA 205 Quantitative Methods; GBDA 304 Marketing in the Digital World
2025: GBDA 318 Advanced User Experience Design and Research; CS449/649 Human-Computer Interaction; GBDA 413 Special Topics in Design and Society
2024: CS115 Introduction to Computer Science; CS349 User Interface
Conference Reviewer (2024-2026)
Reviewer for computing conferences:
DIS '26 (ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference)
SOUPS '25 and SOUPS '24 (Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security)
Research Assistant, Shandong University
(2023-2024)
Research Project: Exploring the Effects of Different Interaction Modes in BCI (Brain-Computer Interface) Games on Human Cortical Activation
Research Assistant, Tsinghua University
(2022-2023)
Research Project: Exploring the design space of smart calm-down corner to support emotional regulation in preschool children.
Research Assistant, University of Waterloo (2023.6-2023.9)
Mitacs Globalink Research Intern
Research Project:
1. Privacy and Security Challenges in Child-Robot Interactions
2. Public Perceptions and Attitudes Toward IoT Device Privacy
UX Intern, Lumos Health Inc. (2026.7-2026.11)
Project: Enhancing User Experience and Human-Centred Design for Lumos Smart Light Therapy Glasses
CEO & Founder, LudiFocus Inc., Canada
Selected from 40+ PhD-level projects to receive Seed Funding at ARC's Inaugural Pitch Day, and featured by the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science. Read the news story
Awards: Academy of Research Commercialization Scholarship ($10,000 CAD); Velocity Outstanding Validation Award ($500 CAD)
Skills
Guide to Working with Me
What am I working on recently?
Research Projects:
-project1: Exploring the future design space of neurofeedback training through co-design with children with ADHD (Leader)
-project2: Exploring user authentication methods in VR through popular games (Leader)
-project3: A scoping review of image GenAI creativity support tools (CSTs) designs (Leader)
-project4: Making sound tangible: a visualized installation (open to funding opportunities) (Leader)
-project5: Designing interactive performance tools in VR (Collborator)
I’m always happy to chat about anything related to human-computer interaction, design, or even startups. Whether you’re a student, researcher, or just someone curious, count me in!
What do I enjoy doing?
Everything fresh!
My personal values and stance
I was born in China. While I deeply love aspects of Chinese culture — such as traditional clothing and food — However, growing up, the environment around me sometimes made things hard. I deeply admire everyone who works toward building a world where fairness, justice, freedom, and human rights are truly upheld.
Bella's Gallery
Since middle school, I have been passionate about painting and have dreamed of becoming a designer from a young age.
Hand-drawn Design Drafts
Created during undergraduate studies, 2020–2022
Digital Painting
Created during undergraduate studies, 2020–2022
"BrownCar" is a piece created as part of a copying practice exercise the original worked by Fryewerk.
Painting
Created during high school, 2017–2020
(BTW, My high school cell phone was a bit behind the times, so these pictures are a bit blurry)
