- Human Dynamics
Yan is an interdisciplinary researcher who is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Cultural Data Analytics at the CUDAN Open Lab at Tallinn University in Estonia, under the supervision of Professors Maximilian Schich and Marek Tamm. His research focuses on the intersection of computer science and humanities, where he leverages computational methods to study digital culture and self-representation on social media platforms.
Yan has served as a visiting student at Prof. Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland’s Human Dynamics Group at the MIT Media Lab. During his time there, he worked under the supervision of Prof. Esteban Moro and conducted research on exploring the income segregation of visitors to cultural places in the Boston and Cambridge areas. He is also a member of the MIT Connection Science group.
Currently, Yan is a member of the Digital Therapeutics (DTx) Research Group in the Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology at Oulu University in Finland. His work there involves designing web and mobile solutions for individuals with multiple sclerosis.
Aside from his academic career, Yan is also the founder of Affinity OÜ design agency, which serves as a bridge between academia and industry. The agency provides ethical design consultancy and solutions to early-stage startups and research groups working in the fields of digital health, well-being, and AI.
Yan has a background in UX/UI design, having worked in the field for five years on a range of products in the health, education, and social media domains.
Yan received his MSc in Human-Computer Interaction from Tallinn University in Estonia.