Hi! I'm Sijia Xiao, a postdoctoral researcher at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII), Carnegie Mellon University, working with Prof. Motahhare Eslami. I completed my PhD at the School of Information, UC Berkeley, advised by Prof. Niloufar Salehi and Coye Cheshire. I previously received my Master of Human-Computer Interaction from Georgia Tech and my Bachelor of Computer Science from Peking University.

I am a researcher in Human–Computer Interaction (HCI), Social Computing, and Responsible AI. My work develops frameworks and systems that make sociotechnical systems not only technically robust but also socially accountable, with a focus on social media and AI innovation. My research has two goals:

• Complement harm prevention with deliberation and reparation. Much existing work of addressing technological harm focuses on punishment or narrow forms of accountability, but less attention has been paid to reparation—how to remedy harm that has already happened and build processes for sustained transformation. I study how to design structures for deliberation, helping people collectively interpret technology’s impacts, and for reparation, creating ways to address harm through acknowledgment, remedy, and reform.
• Expand responsible AI’s focus beyond harm to also consider benefits. While responsible AI research has largely centered on risks, I ask how benefits can be identified and weighed to better balance industry needs with societal values. My studies examine this tension in early AI innovation, often driven by technical feasibility and business opportunity, particularly in non-tech companies. I design tools and frameworks that bring accountability to early decision-making and help align innovation with broader social values.

I use qualitative interviews, participatory design, experiments, and system building, drawing on theories of decision-making and sensemaking as well as restorative and transformative justice. My research has been published at leading venues such as CHI, CSCW, TOCHI, and AIES, and cited by The Guardian, CNN, BBC, and The New York Times. I have received a CHI Honorable Mention and funding from the CMU–NIST Cooperative Research Center, the Berkeley AI Policy Hub, and the Center for Technology, Society and Policy.