Hi there! I am a human-computer interaction (HCI) researcher specializing in usable privacy and security. As privacy and security technologies advance, they often prioritize automation. This leaves users passively accepting protection measures they neither fully understand nor can verify. I believe that user autonomy should be fundamental to privacy and security management in today’s complex cyberspace, with technology as a supporting tool. My research advances user autonomy principles through three core areas: 1) designing evidence-based digital safety educational games, 2) developing human-centered defenses against AI-enabled threats, and 3) enabling informed decisions with appropriate AI support. My research has been published in leading venues including ACM CHI, ACM CCS, and Information Sciences.
I am a postdoc in the Computer Science Department at Virginia Tech, working with Prof. Yaxing Yao. I am fortunate to have worked as a postdoc at the HKUST Visualization Lab. I received my Ph.D. degree in computer science from Cornell University. Before that, I recieved my joint First-class Honours bachelor degree in computer science from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, U.K. and BUCT, Beijing, China.
🔥 News
- 2024.10: 🎉🎉 I am on the academic job market for a faculty position!
- 2024.10: 🎉🎉 Join my Oct 25 Virginia Tech talk on adaptive games & interactive media for privacy & security!
- 2024.08: 🎉🎉 I am honored to receive the AI 2000 Most Influential Scholar Award Honorable Mention in Security and Privacy!
- 2024.07: 🎉🎉 I am serving as an Associate Chair of ACM CHI 2025. Please submit your amazing work here!
- 2024.04: 🎉🎉 I’m co-organizing a SOUPS workshop on revolutionizing privacy & security EdTech. Join us on Aug 11!
- 2023.07: 🎉🎉 The e-Learning Ancillary Facilities Program in which I act as a co-investigator secures 30 Million HKD funding from QEF!
📝 Selected Publications
Symbol * indicates the corresponding authorship; Symbol ^ indicates a student I mentor.
The Influence of Explanation Designs on User Understanding Differential Privacy and Making Data-sharing Decision in Information Sciences, Sep. 2023.
Authors: Zikai Alex Wen, Jingyu Jia, Hongyang Yan, Yaxing Yao, Zheli Liu, Changyu Dong
Highlights: Our explanatory illustration design simplifies the understanding of differential privacy protection of numerical data. A survey of 228 people shows visual illustration outperformed text-based explanation in understanding differential privacy. Learning about privacy-enhancing technology does not necessarily increase the willingness to share data.
Email Reading Behavior-Informed Machine Learning Model to Predict Phishing Susceptibility in the proceedings of the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence Security and Privacy (AIS&P), 2023.
Authors: Ning Xu^, Jiluan Fan^, Zikai Wen*
Abstract: As phishing threats intensify, our research develops innovative anti-phishing solutions using machine learning and eye-tracking, specifically the TransMLP Hybrid model that achieves an 88.75% accuracy rate. This model not only proactively alerts users to potential scams in real-time but also ensures consistent interpretation of eye-tracking data across various email interfaces and displays.
Pointer: Github
What.Hack: Engaging Anti-Phishing Training Through a Role-Playing Phishing Simulation Game in the proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), 2019.
Authors: Zikai Alex Wen, Zhiqiu Lin, Rowena Chen, Erik Andersen
Abstract: People being phished is due in part to insufficient and tiresome user training in cybersecurity. we designed the game What.Hack, which not only teaches phishing concepts but also simulates actual phishing attacks in a role-playing game to encourage the player to practice defending themselves.
Pointer: Game
📖 Full Publications
Symbol * indicates that I am the (co-)corresponding author. My current citation status is:
🎖 Awards and Grants
- 2024 AI 2000 Most Influential Scholar Award Honorable Mention in Security and Privacy from AMiner
- 2023 The E-learning Ancillary Facilities Grant Co-investigator ($30 Million HKD) from Quality Education Fund
- 2022 The Fellowship of China Postdoctoral Science Foundation ($80K RMB) from CPSF, China
- 2022 Outstanding Service Award from IEEE MMSP
- 2017 The Student Game Design Competition Runner-Up at ACM CHI
- 2014 The Andrew McGettrick Prize from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
- 2014 The Outstanding Graduate of Beijing from Beijing Municipal Education Commission
