CV

Education

Ph.D. in Computer Science (2025 - Present)
University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Research Focus: Augmented Reality for Human-Robot Interaction

M.S. in Computer Science (2023 - 2025)
University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Thesis: Bridging Virtual Robots and Physical Faces via Augmented Reality

M.S. in Marketing (2023 - 2025)
University of South Florida, Tampa, FL

Pathway to Computing Graduate Certificate (2023)
University of South Florida, Tampa, FL

Bachelor of Arts (2009 - 2013)
Qufu Normal University, China

Research Experience

Graduate Research Assistant (Oct 2023 - Present)
RARE Lab, University of South Florida
Supervisor: Dr. [Supervisor Name]

• Investigating augmented reality applications for human-robot interaction
• Developing AR virtual robots as replacements for physical robots in empirical studies
• Focus on replicability and reproducibility of empirical experiment results

Teaching Experience

Teaching Assistant (Oct 2024 - Present)
University of South Florida, Computer Science Department

• CIS4930.002F25/CAP6110.001F25 Augmented Reality (Fall 2025, 25 students)
• CIS3433 System Integration & Architecture (Spring 2025, 68 students)
• COP4600 Operating Systems (Fall 2024, 90 students)

Instructor - College Chinese (Sep 2009 - May 2015)
Qilu Institute of Technology, China

• Full-time Chinese language instruction
• Curriculum development and classroom management

Skills & Expertise

Programming Languages

• Python, C++, Java, C#, JavaScript, HTML/CSS

Technologies & Frameworks

• Unity 3D, Augmented Reality (AR), ROS (Robot Operating System)
• HoloLens 2, Mixed Reality Toolkit (MRTK)
• Git/GitHub, Jekyll, Gazebo Simulation

Research Areas

• Human-Robot Interaction, Augmented Reality, Virtual Robotics
• Empirical Study Design, Replicability in HRI Research

Publications

Do Results in Experiments with Virtual Robots in Augmented Reality Transfer To Physical Robots? An Experiment Design

Kong, Xiangfei. (2024). "Do Results in Experiments with Virtual Robots in Augmented Reality Transfer To Physical Robots? An Experiment Design." WYSD 2024 — 4th Workshop YOUR Study Design! Participatory critique and refinement of human-robot interaction user studies.

Mentoring Experience

Social Robot Development Team - Capstone Project

Vlad Krukhmalev & Tu Nguyen - Advanced ROS Development

Dev Thakkar - ROS Unity Integration

James Yab - Mobile Robotics Research

Awards & Recognition

Rada Scholarship in AI and Healthcare (2025-2026)
University of South Florida

Professional Development

Graduate Student Mentorship Training (2025)
University of South Florida