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 interests include Natural Language Processing (NLP), Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), and AI-driven applications for Smart Cities. 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: April 2025 ...
• [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 decompose one-shot LLM runtime into modularized function calls enhanced with Signal Temporal Logic to evaluate call-taker's performance under real-world deployment.

Keywords: LLMs, NLP, AI for Social Goods

Customized Emergency Response Training

Collaborating with Metro Nashville Department of Emergency Communications, we develop Angie/SimER. SimER is an AI-driven simulation environment to assist call-taker training under emergency response scenarios.

Keywords: LLMs, NLP, AI for Social Goods

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Intelligent Emergency Response Systems

We created an intelligent system that leverages data to enhance response time and decision-making in emergencies. These systems use machine learning to improve coordination between protocols and streamline operations.

Keywords: AI/ML, NLP, AI for Social Goods

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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

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Publications

[IJCAI 2025] LogiDebrief: A Signal-Temporal Logic based Automated Debriefing Approach with Large Language Models Integration
[AAAI 2025] Sim911: Towards Effective and Equitable 9-1-1 Dispatcher Training with an LLM-Enabled Simulation
[AAAI 2024] 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 2022] (Best Paper Finalist) Cityspec: An intelligent assistant system for requirement specification in smart cities
[IEEE SmartComp 2022] An intelligent assistant for converting city requirements to formal specification

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