February 5, 2021

Yiqing Hua is a computer science doctoral candidate from Jiangsu, China. After attending Shanghai Jiaotong University as an undergraduate, she chose to pursue further study at Cornell Tech for the atmosphere and the people.

What is your area of research and why is it important?

My research interest focuses on measuring and mitigating threats on social media, such as online harassment and disinformation.

What are the larger implications of this research?

My research aims to help provide insights into events that might lead to severe consequences. Taking our ongoing project as an example, we’ve collected a Twitter dataset of claims regarding voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election and conducted preliminary analyses on it. Such claims led to the shocking incident that happened on January 6th, 2021 when a mob stormed the U.S. capitol. We hope that the release of the dataset and the analyses would help not only researchers, but also other interested entities such as journalists better understand what happened.

With the option to study in Ithaca or New York City, why did you choose Cornell Tech?

My advisors are at Cornell Tech.

What is it like to study on a brand new campus in the middle of NYC?

Exciting! There are many organizations and schools in New York City. My research is interdisciplinary so it’s really nice that I can get easily connected with academics outside of computer science from other universities, journalists, local public organizations, etc. 

Is any part of your study located in Ithaca? If so, how did you navigate that before the pandemic and how do you navigate it now?

I spent my first one and half a year in Ithaca and finished most of my courses there.

What are your hobbies or interests outside of your research or scholarship?

Since COVID, my hobbies are mostly learning German, cooking Chinese food, and crafting.

Why did you choose Cornell to pursue your degree?

I like the atmosphere and the people.