Ben Z. Zhang, Ph.D.

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Technology and Society at Stony Brook University's (SUNY) College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS). I am recruiting 1–2 Ph.D. students to begin in Fall 2026 in the areas of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Social Computing, and Human-Centered AI.

I study the production and sociotechnical impacts of AI-enabled systems in critical areas (e.g., work, health, education, and sustainability) to advance theory and inform more equitable and human-centered design and policy interventions. To achieve this, I employ a life-cycle-centered, multi-method approach to analyze the promises, inequalities, and invisible labor embedded in AI infrastructures, from development and deployment to governance.

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Drawing on training in applied data science and sociocultural ethnography, my work examines how responsible approaches can be integrated throughout the lifecycle of AI-enabled systems. Specifically, I have focused on: (1) AI production and data infrastructures; (2) work, education, and sustainability in the context of global development; and (3) sociotechnical strategies to reduce harm and promote responsible computing.  My empirical research has yielded several conceptual contributions (e.g., precision labor in AI production, algorithmic mobility, and infrastructural migration) and design and policy implications around algorithmic resistance and platform governance.

My research has been published at top computing venues, including ACM CHI, ACM CSCW, ACM GROUP, AAAI ICWSM, and the Journal of Collaborative Computing and Work Practices (JCSCW), as well as interdisciplinary venues such as SMSociety, 4S, and AoIR. My work is supported by awards and fellowships, including the International Institute, Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan, and the Weizenbaum Institute in Germany. Additionally, my work and practice have been featured in global news outlets like Der Spiegel, China Daily, and States Newsroom.

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I received my  Ph.D. from the University of Michigan's School of Information, along with a graduate certificate in Science, Technology, and Society (STS). I hold an M.S. in Applied Data Science from Syracuse University and a B.A. from the University of Indianapolis. Before entering academia, he worked as a journalist and feature writer at an international news outlet. I enjoy cycling, swimming, running, hiking, and yoga. Please feel free to contact me via ben(dot)z(dot)zhang(at)stonybrook(dot)edu.