Kat K Chen
Western University Ph.D. Student.
Faculty of Information and Media Studies.
Media Studies /Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) /Human-AI Interaction (HAII) /Neurodiveristy
I am a doctoral student at Western University’s Media Studies Ph.D. program (expected May 2029), under the supervision of Dr. Luke Stark. Through the lense of neurodiversity, I am focusing on the Human -Artificial Intelligence Interaction (HAII); how Large Language Models (LLMs) and their anthropromophization impacts Autistic Individuals’ communicative practices.
I am interested in the intersection of social justice and technological advancements, examining the fetishization of how LLMs impact marginalized groups.
My Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Sociology shaped my passion for social justice, particularly through the perspectives of culture and marginalized communities. This interest was further refined during my Master of Science degree in Digital Social Media, where I developed a deeper focus on technological development and its social implications.
About Me
Past Presentations
Was That Sarcasm? Sarcasm Detection in Large Language Models
Student Poster Session
“The Curious Times of CONVERSATIONAL AI: Human Ingenuity & Technological Wonders.” April. 2026
Full Paper Here
Social Justice and Family Conflict
San Diego State University- Student Research Symposium
March 2022
The study seeks to reflect on the researcher’s own experience in communicating social justice issues with their conservative family members, to investigate the relationship between cultural gaps and conflict. Multiple similarities are found when reading through past journal entries, the commonality of low communication accommodation, families are high in immediacy, but low in both intimacy and closeness, the feeling of being an out-group when communicating and finally high value in conformity within Asian family households. Families low in closeness, or intimacy, suffer from communication issues, which negatively affects family dynamics. A person who feels like an out-group within a family dynamic, can lead to mental health issues, and low communication satisfaction within the family. Low communication accommodations from both communicating parties causes more conflict. Families who are high in conformity suffer more from low communication satisfaction compared to families who value more independency.
Education
Western University - Faculty of Information and Science
In Progress | Ph.D. in Media Studies
University of Southern California - Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Graduated May 2024 | Master of Science
Major: Digital Social Media
San Diego State University - School of Communication
Graduated May 2022 | Bachelor of Arts
Major: Communications Minor: Sociology
Research Experiences
Research Apprenticeship December 2021 - January 2022
● Worked with Dr. Matthew Savage and Dr. Godfried Asante on research projects through meta-analysis
SDSU Student Research Symposium October 2021 - February 2022
● Presented to the Student Research Symposium on Social Justice and Family Conflict
Honors Communication Research Apprenticeship Program September 2021 - December 2021
● Selected as an undergraduate research assistant through faculty invitation and competitive application process with interview
Western States Communication Association Undergraduate Conference January 2022
● Submitted an autoethnography regarding social justice and family conflict
Teaching Experience
MediaCom 2100 F- Political Economy of Media (Lecturer Dr. Atle Kjøsen)
MediaCom 2025 B -Research Methods for the Digital Age (Lecturer Dr. Shengnan Yang)
Volunteer Work
Red Cross Taiwan 2017-2019
Provided care for older adults living alone.
Tabitha Foundation Taiwan 2018-2019
Raised money to visit Cambodia building houses for families.
Harmony Home Taiwan 2018-2019
Taking care of children for displaced families in a children’s home.
Contact
Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Email
kchen965 / @uwo. / ca