Yiliu (Aiden) Li
A pun on "First-Class" (一流) — a goal I'm constantly chasing, one bug at a time.
I am an undergraduate student at University College London (UCL) studying in Computer Science. My research interests lie at the intersection of Agentic AI, Visual Computing, World Model, Human-Computer Interaction. I am passionate about building intelligent systems that enhance human capabilities and understanding of the world.
News
Education
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
Sep 2023 – Jul 2026
BSc Computer Science
Predicted First Class Honour
Research & Teaching Experiences
Research Internship
Princeton University AI for Accelerating Invention (AI2) Lab
Sep 2025 – Present
- Worked with Dr. Shilong Liu and Prof. Mengdi Wang on agentic AI, focusing on web-use agents and GUI-grounded interaction. Developed an open-source system achieving state-of-the-art performance among open-source methods, with work under submission to ICML
Research Assistant
Carnegie Mellon University Human Computer Interaction Institute (CMU HCII)
Jun 2025 – Sep 2025
Supervisor: Prof. Alexandra Ion- Conducted research in Physical Intelligence and Human-Robot Interaction by integrating VLM and VLA on robotic arms
- Conducted research on how embodiment and interaction shape perceptions of robotic collaborators (submitted to CHI 2026)
Research Assistant
Tsinghua University Pervasive HCI Group (Tsinghua PI Lab)
May 2025 – Present
- Conducting research in LLM Ideation and LLM Review, by developing a GUI LLM platform, and to enable low-cost collection, organization and synthesization of scientific facets
- Designing and developing cross-platform mobile webapp for online AI hemifacial spasm analysis via facial analysis
Research Assistant
UCL Computer Science Multi-Sensory Devices (MSD) Group
Aug 2024 – Apr 2025
Supervisor: Prof. Marianna Obrist- Developed and deployed Virtual Reality (VR) environment, enhanced experience in fabric touch perception
- Contributed to research on kinaesthetic illusion through experimental support, and literature review
- Supported in preparing presentations and research summaries about pseudo-haptics
Teaching Assistant
UCL Computer Science
Sep 2024 – Present
ENGF0034 Design and Professional Skills I (Computer Science)
Sep 2024 – Present
Module Leader: Prof. Martin Benning- Assisted students with Python coding, AI game auto player development, and debugging techniques
- Provided support in understanding internet protocols and real-world networking applications
Industrial & Leadership Experiences
Head of Nexus Lab
UCL Artificial Intelligence Society
Sep 2025 – Present
- Directing Europe's largest student-led AI research lab, overseeing multi-pillar programmes and leading faculty/PhD-mentored teams from ideation to publication
- Organized regular academic events to connect students and researchers, designed research roadmaps, and built structured pipelines guiding students from learning to active research participation
Campus Ambassador
TRAE, ByteDance
Oct 2025 – Present
- Advocated for the AI-powered coding IDE on campus, organised workshops and fostered a community of student developers
Y Combinator AI Startup School
16-17 June, 2025
- Selected to join an exclusive program convening leading AI founders, researchers, and investors (including Sam Altman, Dr. Andrew Ng, Prof. Fei-Fei Li, Prof. Chelsea Finn, Garry Tan and Satya Nadella) to explore frontier developments in AI innovation and entrepreneurship.
AI Product Manager Intern
Ponder AI (ResearchFlow)
Feb 2025 – Present
- Actively supporting initiatives such as Keyboard Shortcuts, Mind Map View, and Accuracy Optimization
- Proposed, designed, and launched multi-functional AI Chatbox that supports in-contextual quotation
- Assisted in structuring product roadmaps, gathering user feedback, and optimizing AI functionalities to enhance usability and user engagement
Projects
SightLinks – UCL IXN Project
Oct 2024 – Mar 2025
Collaboration with UCL GDI Hub and Wheelchair Alliance. Developed a system for precise zebra crossing detection and geolocation from satellite imagery using YOLO11 and georeference techniques. Achieved the Highest Score in the Cohort.
CUDA Accelerated SDOT Kernel
Jun 2023 – Aug 2023
Optimized GPU-accelerated kernels for SDOT computation at UCR Supercomputing Lab. Achieved significant efficiency gains through CUDA programming and innovative memory management.
Publications
Chain of Ground: Improving GUI Grounding via Iterative Reasoning and Reference Feedback
Under Review
Embodiment and Interaction Influence Perceptions of Robotic Collaborators in Everyday Physical Tasks
Under Review
KiTaFab: Kinaesthetic and Tactile Mid-air Haptics Fabric Experiences
Under Review
With deep gratitude to those who have shaped my path...
Prof. Martin Benning
Prof. Yvonne Rogers
Prof. Anthony Steed
Dr. Yun Fu
Dr. Mark Colley
Dr. Yansong Liu
Dr. Iasonas Kokkinos
Dr. He Wang
Dr. Yang Liu
Bizhi Yu, Daoan Lei
M. Vasudevan, Z. Shen, J. Hardwick, M. Dechant
...and so many more who have touched my journey