Gaeun (GL) Lee
email | orchid | linkedin | full CV
☘️ More About Me & Research Direction ☘️
Interests: HCI · Wellbeing & Mental Health · Wearable Devices · Sensing · Interaction · Ubiquitous Computing · VR/AR
Gaeun (GL) Lee
email | orchid | linkedin | full CV
☘️ More About Me & Research Direction ☘️
Interests: HCI · Wellbeing & Mental Health · Wearable Devices · Sensing · Interaction · Ubiquitous Computing · VR/AR
B.S. Computer Science + Design (CS+DES), Honors College
expected May 2026
4.0 / 4.0
VR Developer / Research Assistant
Fulfillment Project, Electronic Visualization Laboratory UIC, Anthropology UChicago (NSF #2121737, 2025– )
Teaching Assistant
CS 211 Programming Practicum, UIC (2025– )
Research Intern
HCI Lab, KAIST (Summer 2025)
LLM/NLP Intern
Illinois Dept. of Transportation (2023)
ACM Hypertext 2025
UIC Electronic Visualization Laboratory
Fulfillment Poster Exhibition ACM Hypertext 2025
Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT)
You Can Grow Here SIGGRAPH 2025 Poster Vancouver Convention Center
Creative Coding
VR Exhibition 2025
UIC Electronic Visualization Laboratory
Ibtasar, R., Lee, G. et al. (2025). Pre-Coding Scaffolds for Computational Thinking. ICLS 2025.
Tsoupikova, D., Y. Chu, J., et al. (2025). CAVE2 Virtual Reality Exhibition: Project Fulfillment. ACM Hypertext ’25.
Blaze Venture Speech Challenge Finalist
Presenter, ACM Hypertext 2025
Member, ACM SIGGRAPH
Member, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Tech Lead, UIC ACM
CS+DES Representative, Student Design Advisory Board
Moderator, MLK Student Leadership Conference
Last Updated 25.11.03
SummaryImmersive VR experience that visualizes anxiety-management techniques through interactive storytelling and multisensory cues. It invites users to reflect on emotions, regulate anxiety, and build resilience through calm, self-guided exploration.
I proposed the core concept, building the experience around anxiety disorder and a narrative emotional arc, and designed the
final two stages: Grounding and Acceptance.
Interaction Flow
1 · Awareness
Dark typographic space visualizing anxious state of mind.
2 · Release
Watery types expressing negative emotions melt on touch showing acceptance.
Watery types expressing negative emotions melt on touch showing acceptance.
3 · Breathing
Floating spheres guide 5-5-5 breathing.
4 · Grounding
Floating spheres guide 5-5-5 breathing.
4 · Grounding
Nature-inspired space for 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise, users reconnect to the present.
5 · Acceptance
Users leave with acknowledgment of their feelings and emotional relief. A soft rainbow signifies hope and resolution.
Process
Background Research Reviewed prior VR anxiety work; identified need for autonomous, narrative design.
Concept Development Sketched spatial metaphors and storyboarded a four-stage emotional journey.
Iterative Prototyping Built weekly Unity prototypes & refined pacing and tone through participant feedback.
System Implementation Integrated custom assets, responsive breathing spheres, and ambient sound.
Evaluation & Reflection Observed engagement in CAVE2; refined scenes and transitions from feedback.
Honors capstone project, developing
Squishy Log explores how tangible interfaces can make anxiety tracking more accessible and comforting.
Designed Log, a mobile app supporting users in identifying anxiety triggers and high-stress moments.
Features a comforting support character, daily reflection “Logs,” and progress visualizations to encourage routine and self-awareness.
Phase 2: Squishy Log (in progress)
Developing a sensor-embedded stress ball that connects with the app, enabling users to express and record emotions through touch and gesture. This phase explores how tangible interaction can make anxiety management more accessible, calming, and grounded. It offers a more immediate and personal way to engage with wellbeing practices during peak moments of stress.
Exploring Gaze-Based Interaction
KAIST, HCI lab
During a summer research internship, I designed and conducted a gaze-tracking study exploring how wearable sensing systems can enhance interactions with IoT devices.
Working independently, I modified the Tobii Pro glasses 2 with an additional sensing component, calibrated the setup to align with the study’s goals, and led quantitative data collection and analysis. Through this work, I gained hands-on experience in experimental design and sensor-based prototyping.
(This project is part of ongoing research and cannot yet be publicly shared.)
ACM Hypertext 2025, NSF grant #2121737
UIC Electronic Visualization Laboratory + UChicago Neubauer Collegium
This project bridges computational design, social science, and digital visualization, advancing new multimodal methods for understanding the infrastructures that power global logistics networks.
For the CAVE2 exhibition, I created an interactive VR scene depicting the intensity of warehouse logistics work. The piece simulates the challenge of locating and packing parcels under time pressure, allowing viewers to experience the disorienting and embodied dimensions of logistical systems.
Working with researchers from computer science, anthropology, and media arts, I helped translate complex theories of global circulation into a tangible, spatial experience that exposes the human scale of automation and mobility.
UIC Learning + Interest + Technology Lab
NSF grant #2342099, SpenCer foundation funded
Image courtesy of ClicBot.
For the past studies, I focused on developing a value-centered intervention and analyzing student’s behavior through qualitative coding and thematic analysis. This work led to our publication “Pre-Coding Scaffolds for Computational Thinking in an Open-Ended Middle School Social Robotics Curriculum” (ICLS 2025).
Our current study is on co-designing the format we developed with students, mentors and industry professionals.