Lab Members

Principal Investigator

Yingchen He, Ph.D. (Hear my name here!)

Profile photo of Dr. Yingchen He. She has dark hair and wears an indigo sleeveless mock neck top. There are green plants and brick walls in the background.

she / her / hers

CV | LinkedIn | Google Scholar | yingchen_he@ncsu.edu

Dr. Yingchen He joined NC State in 2020 as an Assistant Professor in the Human Factors and Applied Cognition Program, where she directs the Translational Vision Research Lab. She earned her undergraduate degrees in Biological Sciences and Psychology from Peking University in Beijing and her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Following her doctoral studies, she completed postdoctoral training within the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, as well as the Department of Psychology, at the University of Minnesota.

  • Ph.D. Research: Advised by Drs. Gordon Legge and Sheng He, her doctoral work focused on sensory and cognitive constraints on reading performance. She developed training protocols specifically designed to improve reading speed for individuals with visual impairments.
  • Postdoctoral Research (Ophthalmology): Working with retina surgeon Dr. Sandra Montezuma, she studied brain plasticity in individuals with retinal implants. Her work involved objective evaluations of functional vision and collaborating with industry partners to optimize implant functionality.
  • Postdoctoral Research (Psychology): In collaboration with Dr. Stephen Engel, she developed eye-tracker-based reading aids for people with central vision loss.

When she isn’t in the lab, Dr. He is likely being supervised by her cat, Biscuit (伯虎). Biscuit is a fan of leafy vegetables, mechanical keyboards, and making unannounced appearances in virtual meetings.

Graduate Students

Dylan Hewitt (Hear my name here!)Profile picture of Dylan Smith. He has brown hair, glasses, and a silver septum ring. He is wearing a blue button-down shirt with a maroon cardigan.

he / him / his

CV| LinkedIn | dhhewitt@ncsu.edu

Dylan Smith is a PhD student in the Human Factors and Applied Cognition in the Psychology Department (2020-present). He completed his undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Women’s & Gender Studies in Spring 2020, also at NC State. His undergraduate research focused on gender and biological sex differences in mental models of weather emergencies.

His current research interests involve accessibility of the internet for users with visual impairments and the cognitive cost of inaccessibility for all users. In a broader sense, he wants to research accessibility of technology for people who are systematically unable to access it, whether that barrier be physical, neurological, or societal. Using his dual backgrounds in gender studies and psychology, he tries to take a unique approach to systematic issues affecting differently-abled communities.

When he’s not working on research or school work, Dylan likes to play with his dog, Louis, and watch documentaries about dinosaurs. In undergraduate, his gender studies coursework focused on feminist science fiction, and he still has a passion for sci-fi and fantasy that centers LGBTQ+ individuals.

Cecelia Henderson (Hear my name here!)Young woman in blue with long brown hair against a green background.

she / her / hers

CV | LinkedIn | cahende3@ncsu.edu

Cecelia Henderson is a PhD student in the Human Factors and Applied Cognition program (2020-present). She completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Biological Sciences in Fall 2018 and continued her studies at NCSU as a post-baccalaureate student until entering the HFAC program in Fall 2020. Her post-baccalaureate and first-year research focused on attribution bias, specifically attributing blame to automated technology utilized in human-machine teaming in the workplace when an accident occurs.

Her current research interests involve the integration of automated technology into the daily lives of individuals with visual disabilities, as well as how to improve levels of trust in this technology by way of their design. How these systems are perceived by those who utilize them is incredibly important, as these individuals are placing their ability to be independent into the figurative hands of this type of technology. As such, she hopes this line of research will lead to more accessible and universal designs in the future.

When not working on research or school, Celia enjoys spending time with her two pets, a cat named Rose and a parrot named Xanu. She is also an avid reader who particularly enjoys science fiction, and loves to learn new crafting skills and recipes.

Yiting Liu

Yiting Liu stands in front of glass doors. He has short hair and is wearing a gray hoodie and holding a black jacket.

he / him / his

CV | LinkedIn | yliu244@ncsu.edu

Yiting Liu is a Ph.D. student in the Human Factors and Applied Cognition Program in the Psychology Department at North Carolina State University (2023–present). He earned his B.A. in Psychology from NC State in 2023, with a minor in Social Work. His research focuses on accessibility, usability, and human–technology interaction, with particular interest in how design decisions shape users’ ability to effectively understand and engage with different systems. He is passionate about applying rigorous experimental methods to real-world problems. Drawing from cognitive psychology, human factors, and mixed-method research, he aims to inform the development of accessible systems and environments that enhance user experiences across different domains. For more information on his experimental work, please refer to the CV.
Outside of research, Yiting enjoys photography, cycling, cooking, basketball, and following motorsports. He also devotes much of his time to caring for his three beloved companions: his cat AFU (whose name means “lucky” in Chinese), and two doodle-mix dogs named Cheese and Latte.

Lab Alumni

Patrick Seebold Patrick smiling against a white backdrop, wearing a red and black shirt and a black suit jacket.

he / him / his

CV | LinkedIn | pcseebol@ncsu.edu

Patrick Seebold earned his Ph.D degree in 2024 from the Human Factors & Applied Cognition program as Dr. He’s advisee. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Biology with minors in Environmental Science and Theater from NCSU in 2019.

Research Statement:  As a behavioral scientist with a background in the natural sciences, I seek to merge biological and psychological principles to enhance our knowledge of the human organism. My ambition is to discover novel ways to restore and enhance human perceptual and physical abilities through the marriage of technological, physiological, and behavioral systems. Additional areas of interest include multisensory integration, development and aging, and neuromodulation.

For a list of ongoing research projects, please see my CV (linked above). I am always open to discuss research and possible interdisciplinary collaborations.