phd student · computer science · uiuc

Olivia Pal

Hey! I'm Olivia, a first-year CS PhD student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, working with Prof. Koustuv Saha in the OnCARE Lab. Currently visiting Aalto University as a research intern.

I study digital wellbeing and human-AI interaction, using causal inference, NLP, and qualitative methods to understand how social media and AI shape mental health and trust, and to build tools that help people use technology more intentionally.

Olivia Pal
Ph.D. Student, Computer Science UIUC Aug 2025 — present
Research Intern Aalto University May 2026 — present
Research Intern Trinity College Dublin May 2024 — Jul 2024
Research Intern IIT Kharagpur May 2022 — Apr 2024
B.S. Computer Science Michigan State University May 2025
about

My research sits at the intersection of computational social science and human-computer interaction. I'm broadly interested in how online platforms affect people's mental health, and how AI systems shape the way people form trust and make decisions.

On the methods side, I work with large-scale observational data using propensity score matching and longitudinal modeling, and run qualitative studies through semi-structured interviews and think-aloud protocols. Before my PhD, I studied computer science and cognitive science at Michigan State, and did research internships at Trinity College Dublin (quantum computing) and IIT Kharagpur (EEG-based classification for manufacturing).

digital wellbeing human-AI interaction causal inference comp. social science NLP AI trust qualitative methods
news
jun 2026 Started a research internship at Aalto University, Finland. new
apr 2026 Presented our poster at CHI 2026 in Barcelona.
aug 2025 Joined the OnCARE Lab at UIUC, advised by Prof. Koustuv Saha.
may 2025 Graduated from Michigan State University with a B.S. in Computer Science and Minor in Cognitive Science.
may 2024 Started research internship at Trinity College Dublin.
may 2022 Started research internship at IIT Kharagpur.
publications
2026
Do We Know What They Know We Know? Calibrating Student Trust in AI and Human Responses Through Mutual Theory of Mind
Olivia Pal+, Veda Duddu+, Agam Goyal, Drishti Goel, Koustuv Saha (+ co-primary)
CHI 2026 Extended Abstracts, Poster (38.4% acceptance) publishedposter
acm dl arxiv
2026
Algorithmic Cultivation: How Social Media Feeds Shape User Language
Olivia Pal, Agam Goyal, Eshwar Chandrasekharan, Koustuv Saha
arXiv:2605.17010 preprint
arxiv
2026
The Hidden Toll of Social Media News: Causal Effects on Psychosocial Wellbeing
Olivia Pal, Agam Goyal, Eshwar Chandrasekharan, Koustuv Saha
arXiv:2601.13487 preprintunder review
arxiv
2026
Social Simulacra in the Wild: AI Agent Communities on Moltbook
Agam Goyal, Olivia Pal, Hari Sundaram, Eshwar Chandrasekharan, Koustuv Saha
arXiv:2603.16128 preprint
arxiv
2026
Inform, Coach, Relate, Listen: Auditing LLM Caregiving Support Roles
Drishti Goel, Agam Goyal, Veda Duddu, Olivia Pal, Jeongah Lee, Qiuyue Joy Zhong, Violeta J. Rodriguez, Daniel S. Brown, Dong Whi Yoo, Ravi Karkar, Koustuv Saha
arXiv:2605.29473 preprint
arxiv
2025
EEG-based Color Classification for Industry 4.0 Applications
M. Mondal, Olivia Pal, T. Halder, A. Mukherjee, P. Nayak, S.K. Pal, D. Chakravarty, S. Misra
Digital Manufacturing: Proceedings of AIMTDR 2023, Springer published
2024
An Effective EEG-Based Image Classification Methodology Under Low Data and Resource Requirements Using Machine Learning
A. Banerjee, Olivia Pal, M. Mondal, A. Mukherjee, P.P. Chakrabarti, S.K. Pal, S. Misra, D. Chakravarty
IEEE ICCECE 2024, pp. 1-8 published
experience
HCI and digital wellbeing research. Update with your project details!
  • Causal analysis of news exposure on mental health across 560,000 social media users using propensity score matching.
  • Qualitative research on AI trust via semi-structured interviews, think-aloud protocols, and the Mutual Theory of Mind framework.
  • Built Socially, an AI-powered Chrome extension for real-time prosocial content moderation.
Binary classification using Variational Quantum Classifiers (VQC) with Qiskit Patterns on simulated backends, with emphasis on reproducibility and visualization.
Designed real-time EEG classification systems for color and image recognition, outperforming CNN baselines in low-data regimes. Published in IEEE ICCECE 2024 and AIMTDR 2023.
Built an iOS app connecting job coaches with cognitively disabled clients, integrating a robotic arm for remote task support. Led front-end and workflow design to enhance user autonomy.
skills
research methods
Propensity Score Matching Longitudinal Modeling Semi-structured Interviews Think-Aloud Protocols Thematic Analysis
programming
Python C++ Swift MATLAB SQL, HTML, CSS, Git
ml and libraries
PyTorch Scikit-learn HuggingFace Transformers Pandas, NumPy Qiskit, EEGLAB, FastAPI
beyond research
cooking
Always experimenting in the kitchen. Trying to perfect the art of cooking without a recipe.
reading
Fiction, nonfiction, anything that makes me think differently. Always have a book on the go.
tv shows
Big fan of a good story. Always open to recommendations and will happily talk about shows for hours.
contact

Always happy to chat about research, collaborations, or anything at the intersection of technology and wellbeing. Feel free to reach out!

opal2@illinois.edu google scholar github linkedin twitter bluesky instagram