Hi! I'm Pao.
I am an Human-Computer Interaction researcher based in Seattle. I study and build software that support thinking and creative expressions.
I write about creativity, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and people here on Paoponder.com and my newsletter, This might be wrong.
Work and education
I am an applied research scientist at AI2 on the Semantic Scholar Research Team.
Before AI2, I was a technical lead at B12, a startup aiming to bring a brighter future of work with AI. My projects at B12 use automation to boost the productivity of web designers, copywriters, and project managers.
I finished my Ph.D. in Computer Science working in Intelligent Interactive Systems Group at Harvard University. I did my B.S. in Electrical Engineering and M.S. in Computer Science at Stanford University.
For more details, see my LinkedIn page.
Research
I design and study tools for creatives and thinkers. My research explores ways to apply intelligent technologies to help people think and come up with creative ideas.
Beyond individuals' creativity, I am interested in crowd innovation and how we, as society, can make good decisions on public policies together.
Fun facts
I grew up in Bangkok, Thailand. I spent my past 15 years in the United states. I have lived in the Bay Area, Boston, Seattle (in summer 😎), and finally NYC.
My fun time involves rolling on a mat in an Aikido dojo, watercolor painting, and reading. I love traveling and sketching on site. My secondary hobbies are playing piano/ukulele, Go, and Kendama.
Sketches
I once dreamed of becoming a manga artist. Now I sketch and paint in my free time. You can see more of my sketches on my Instagram page.
Newsletter
I sporadically send out a newsletter about AI, creativity, and cognition. It's called This might be wrong. If you are interested in following along, sign up at your own risk below 😉.