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Q & A With New COE Faculty: Xin (Eric) Wang

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Five years after completing his PhD in computer science at UCSB, Xin (Eric) Wang is returning to campus as an assistant professor in the Computer Science Department. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Zhejiang University and, following the completion of his PhD, became an assistant professor in the Computer Science and Engineering Department at UC Santa Cruz. Aligning with his research interest in machine learning, Wang is also Head of Research at Simular Inc., a startup building computer use agents. Celeste Natera spoke with him earlier this month.

COE: Why are you excited to join UCSB's College of Engineering (COE) and the Computer Science Department?
EW: I’m thrilled to return to UCSB, where I completed my PhD in 2020. The College of Engineering and the Computer Science Department have always been at the forefront of interdisciplinary research and innovation. The collaborative environment and cutting-edge resources here provide an ideal setting to advance my work in multimodal and embodied AI agents. I’m particularly excited about reconnecting with collaborators, like my PhD advisors, William Wang and Yuan-Fang Wang, and joining forces with the brilliant faculty and students here to advance this exciting area of research.

COE: Why do you think your work in multimodal and embodied AI agents will flourish here at UCSB?
EW: My research integrates natural language processing (NLP), computer vision, and machine learning to build multimodal, embodied AI agents that understand and interact naturally with humans. UCSB’s world-class strengths in AI, NLP, human-computer interaction (HCI), and collaborative robotics — alongside unique interdisciplinary resources like the Mind and Machine Intelligence Initiative — will significantly accelerate this work. Having previously experienced UCSB’s deeply collaborative culture, I’m confident my research will flourish in this environment.

COE: What are the real-world implications of your work?
EW: My research has broad, transformative implications for everyday technology interactions. By creating AI agents capable of understanding and executing tasks through natural language, we can revolutionize how humans interact with technology. This has the potential to enhance accessibility, streamline workflows, and open new avenues in fields such as virtual assistants, robotics, and beyond. For example, at Simular, the startup I’m leading as Head of Research, we’re developing agents that allow people to accomplish complex tasks simply by speaking naturally to their computers, making advanced technology more accessible to everyone.

COE: What is your biggest goal while here at UCSB?
EW: At UCSB, my primary goal is to build an innovative and dynamic research group that pushes the boundaries of AI agents while fostering meaningful collaboration across academia and industry. I’m committed to mentoring students who will become future leaders in technology and entrepreneurship, and to leveraging UCSB’s ecosystem to bring transformative ideas from the lab into the real world. Ultimately, I want to create technologies that are not just innovative, but deeply impactful for society at large.

Headshot of Xin (Eric) Wang

Xin (Eric) Wang, assistant professor of computer science.