About Me

Hello! My name is Zirong (Rex) Chen (陈子荣), currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Computer Science at Vanderbilt University under Professor Meiyi Ma's supervision. My research focuses on AI Safety and Trustworthy AI, with particular emphasis on Natural Language Processing (NLP), reliable AI systems for critical applications, and trustworthy AI-driven solutions for Smart Cities and emergency response. I earned my bachelor's degree (B.E. in Computer Engineering) in China and my master's degree (M.S. in Computer Science) at Georgetown University. I am also a former basketball player in high school and college.

Education

• 2021-present Ph.D. in Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
• 2019-2021 M.S. in Computer Science, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
• 2015-2019 B.E. in Computer Engineering, Jinling Institute of Technology, Nanjing, China

News

• ... Last Updated: August 2025 ...
• [Aug. 2025] We presented LogiDebrief (oral + poster @ IJCAI) in Montreal, returned to Vandy, Anchor Down!
• [Jul. 2025] I won IJCAI volunteer scholarship!
• [Jun. 2025] Our project won Vanderbilt Catalyst Funds!
• [May 2025] I joined Epiq AI Labs as an AI Research Fellow (intern), researching under legal AI topics, see you in NYC!
• [Apr. 2025] Our work LogiDebrief is accepted by IJCAI-2025! See you in Montreal, CA!
• [Apr. 2025] Our project is awarded by Google again (Gemma3 Academic Program)!
• [Mar. 2025] Angie now has two solutions: desktop and web!
• [Feb. 2025] Sim911 and our newly developed debriefing function is now also available online!
• [Jan. 2025] Our work Sim911 is selected as Oral Spotlight (4.9%) at AAAI-25!
• [Dec. 2024] Our paper Sim911 is accepted by AAAI-25! See you in Philadelphia.
• [Oct. 2024] Our project is awarded by Google Academic Research Award!
• [Sep. 2024] We were invited (permanently) to present our work at LIVE session.
• [Sep. 2024] We were invited to Innovation Panel organized by Davidson County and Sheriff's Office.
• [Aug. 2024] Our project SimER/Angie got funded by NSF(pre-announcement).
• [Aug. 2024] We were awarded by OpenAI Research Access Program.
• [Jul. 2024] We launched and deploy SimER/Angie V2 at DEC!
• [Jun. 2024] We hosted a Workshop on Future Technologies for Emergency Response and Public Safety!
• [May 2024] We were invited to TN State Gov. of Edu.'s K-12 Event at Peabody!
• [Apr. 2024] SimER/Angie prototype first participates in real-world training!
• [Mar. 2024] We won Vanderbilt Generative AI Seed Grant!
• [Feb. 2024] We were at AAAI 2024 in Vancouver, CA.
• [Feb. 2024] Our work Auto311 is selected as Spotlight Oral Presentation (6%) at AAAI 2024!
• [Jan. 2024] Serve as TA for Automated Verification.
• [Jan. 2024] I won AAAI Scholarship and Volunteer Award!
• [Dec. 2023] I won Vanderbilt Graduate Student Travel Grant!
• [Dec. 2023] Our paper Auto311 is accepted by AAAI-24! See you in Vancouver!

Research Projects

Logic-informed Call-taking Performance Debriefing

We develop trustworthy AI systems that decompose LLM runtime into modularized function calls enhanced with Signal Temporal Logic, ensuring reliable and interpretable performance evaluation for safety-critical call-taking scenarios.

Keywords: Trustworthy AI, AI Safety, Reliable LLMs

Learn More

Customized Emergency Response Training

Collaborating with Metro Nashville Department of Emergency Communications, we develop Angie/SimER - a safety-critical AI system that provides reliable, trustworthy simulation environments for call-taker training in high-stakes emergency response scenarios.

Keywords: Safety-Critical AI, Trustworthy LLMs, Reliable Systems

Learn More

Trustworthy Emergency Response Systems

We develop reliable AI systems with built-in safety guarantees that enhance emergency response decision-making. Our trustworthy machine learning approaches ensure robust performance in critical situations while maintaining transparency and accountability.

Keywords: AI Safety, Trustworthy ML, Reliable Decision Systems

Learn More

Adaptable City Knowledge

The Adaptable City Knowledge project aims to create a dynamic, data-driven platform that helps cities respond to evolving challenges. From traffic management to disaster preparedness, this initiative fosters collaboration between city officials, businesses, and residents to promote resilience.

Keywords: AI/ML, NLP, Life-long Learning

Learn More

Publications

[IJCAI-25] (Oral Spotlight - 13%) LogiDebrief: A Signal-Temporal Logic based Automated Debriefing Approach with Large Language Models Integration
[AAAI-25] (Oral Spotlight - 4.9%) Sim911: Towards Effective and Equitable 9-1-1 Dispatcher Training with an LLM-Enabled Simulation
[AAAI-24] (Oral Spotlight - 6%) Auto311: A Confidence-Guided Automated System for Non-emergency Calls
[Pervasive and Mobile Computing] CitySpec with shield: A secure intelligent assistant for requirement formalization
[IEEE SmartComp 22] (Best Paper Finalist) Cityspec: An intelligent assistant system for requirement specification in smart cities
[IEEE SmartComp 22] An intelligent assistant for converting city requirements to formal specification

Contact

Email: zirong.chen AT vanderbilt.edu
Office: Institute for Software Integrated Systems, Vanderbilt University
Address: 1025 16th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37212
Links: Google Scholar | ORCID | LinkedIn

Visitor Map