Feiran Zhang

PolyU Scholars Hub

Research Assistant Professor

V910d
+852 2766 4513
feiran.zhang@polyu.edu.hk
Expertise: Design-Based Learning, Emotion Awareness, Affective Technologies, Child-Agent Interaction

PolyU Scholars Hub

ORCID ID

Google Scholar

Research Gate

Biography

Dr. Feiran Zhang is currently a Research Assistant Professor at the School of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). Previously, Dr. Zhang was an ERCIM fellow and postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Computer Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and before that, Dr. Zhang worked as a postdoctoral and PhD researcher at the Department of Industrial Design at the Eindhoven University of Technology.

Dr. Zhang focuses on conducting design research to build a bridge between the user, technology, and innovative solution. In addition, she is interested in projects contributing to personal well-being (e.g., technology-enabled interventions for emotion awareness and regulation), improving learning experiences, and developing tools and methods for researching motivational and behavioural factors in learning contexts, design activities, healthcare, and everyday life.

As a respected peer reviewer for leading journals in human-computer interaction, robotics, and educational research, Dr. Zhang has contributed to top publications such as the International Journal of Social Robotics, International Journal of Child Computer Interaction, Computers & Education, and Educational Research Review. She also reviews conferences, including ACM CHI and IDC. Her collaborative spirit has led to fruitful partnerships with designers, educational practitioners, and researchers, fostering a rich exchange of ideas and expertise.

Dr. Zhang welcomes applications from outstanding PhD students and postdoctoral researchers interested in exploring design-based learning and technology-enabled interventions for emotions. Prospective candidates are encouraged to explore funding opportunities such as PolyU postgraduate fellowships and RGC Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme and to contact her directly via email to discuss potential collaborations.

Education and Academic Qualifications

PhD in Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology
Master in Industrial Design Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University
Bachelor of Art Design, Beijing Jiaotong University

Teaching Area

Design Process and Co-creation
Design Research Methodologies
Designing for Emotions
Designing for Behaviour Change

Research Outputs

Zhang, F., Markopoulos, P. & Bekker, T. Children’s Emotions in Design-Based Learning: a Systematic Review. J Sci Educ Technol 29, 459–481 (2020).
DOI: 10.1007/s10956-020-09830-y

Zhang, F., Markopoulos, P., Bekker, T. et al. Understanding design-based learning context and the associated emotional experience. Int J Technol Des Educ 32, 845–882 (2022).
DOI: 10.1007/s10798-020-09630-w

Zhang, F., Markopoulos, P., An, P., & Schüll, M. (2022). Social sharing of task-related emotions in Design-Based Learning: Challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 31, 100378.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcci.2021.100378

Zhang, F., Brynildsrud, H., Papavlasopoulou, S., Sharma, K., & Giannakos, M. (2025). Where inquiry-based science learning meets gamification: a design case of Experiverse. Behaviour & Information Technology, 44(5), 1099-1121.
DOI: 10.1080/0144929X.2024.2433058

Zhang, F., Possaghi, I., Sharma, K., & Papavlasopoulou, S. (2024). High-performing Groups during Children's Collaborative Coding Activities: What Can Multimodal Data Tell Us?. In Proceedings of the 23rd Annual ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference (pp. 533-559).

Zhang, F., Markopoulos, P., Bekker, T., Schüll, M., & Paule-Ruíz, M. (2019). EmoForm: capturing children's emotions during design based learning. In Proceedings of FabLearn 2019 (pp. 18-25).

Zhang, F., Markopoulos, P., & Bekker, T. (2018). The Role of Children’s Emotions during Design-based Learning Activity. In Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2018), Funchal, Portugal (pp. 15-17).

Zhang, F., Markopoulos, P., Biekens, P., Peeters, L., & Bekker, T. (2020). Understanding learning and emotions in Design-Based Learning: what and why crucial to be considered. In Proceedings of the FabLearn 2020-9th Annual Conference on Maker Education (pp. 1-9).

Zhang, F., Markopoulos, P., & Bekker, T. (2020). Emotion awareness in design-based learning. In 2020 IEEE frontiers in education conference (FIE) (pp. 1-8). IEEE.

Zhang, F., Broz, F., Dertien, E., Kousi, N., Van Gurp, J. A., Ferrari, O. I., ... & Barakova, E. I. (2022). Understanding design preferences for robots for pain management: A co-design study. In 2022 17th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) (pp. 1124-1129). IEEE.

Zhang, F., Papavlasopoulou, S., Motland, J. H., & Giannakos, M. (2024). A Review of Empirical Studies on Gamification in K-12 Environmental Education: Is This Chocolate-Covered Broccoli?. In 2024 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON) (pp. 01-10). IEEE.