Shuai Shao

Biography: As an international student, Shuai grew up in Chongqing, one of the biggest cities in southwest China. He spent his middle and high school days in Chongqing Foreign Languages School, where he learned to play basketball and soccer, as well as the ways of understanding and interacting with the world using a foreign language–English. He still remembers the first time he used the code in the C+; he found the magic of the interaction between human and computer, that with a simple line of command, one will open a new world, a virtual but powerful one. In 2023, he decided to continue his studies in the US and found that the DSBA program at UNC Charlotte is a perfect match for him, since he loves the tranquility and beauty of the city, and this is one of the best programs for the field of Data Science in NC. Furthermore, he has 10+ years in the industry and a curious heart for finding the statistical truth behind the data. After his graduation from the DSBA program, he decided to continue his studies in the field since there are many things he still wants to learn. He feels lucky enough to be admitted to the inaugural cohort of the DTSC PhD program, and is really looking forward to the studies ahead. Go DTSCers! 

Degrees and Credentials: Before pursuing the Ph.D. in Data Science at UNC Charlotte, Shuai held leadership roles in the catering industry for over a decade, including positions as General Manager and Department Director. As a member of the inaugural cohort of the Ph.D. program, he is also a graduate student from the Master’s program in Data Science and Business Analytics at the School of Data Science, UNC Charlotte. Shuai earned dual bachelor’s degrees in French and Economics from Xiamen University, China.

Research Interests: AI applications, Chatbot in Mental Health, AI Ethics, Multimodal Alignment, and Personalized AI.

Dissertation: TBA.

Publications: Zhang, D., Shao, S., Shah, S., Zhou, L.  (2025).  “AI-powered Chatbots for Mental Health Support: Challenges, Concerns, and Research Issues” (2025). AMCIS 2025 Proceedings. 15. https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2025/sig_aiaa/sig_aiaa/15 

Starting Year: Fall 2025

Year of Expected Ph.D. : 2029