Hi there! 👋

Hi, I’m Sherry — founder of ComputerX.ai, a StartX-backed startup automating knowledge work through multimodal agents. We’ve helped users automate hundreds of thousands of workflows across tasks that were previously manual and repetitive.

Previously, I earned my Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford, where I worked on conversational AI and chatbot systems with Professors James Landay and Emma Brunskill, in close collaboration with the Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute. I’ve conducted research at Google Cloud AI with Dr. Wei Wei, and at Baidu’s Silicon Valley AI Lab under Chief Scientist Andrew Ng. I’ve also advised enterprise clients on AI and LLM strategy as a consultant at BCG, and was selected as an Accel Innovation Scholar.

Connect with me

My current focus is on building multimodal agent systems that enable robust and reliable human–agent collaboration. Always open to exchanging ideas on agents - free to reach out!

Work Highlights

• ComputerX Agents: 🥇 #1 Product of the Day and #1 in AI for the Week on Product Hunt

• This AI QuizBot Is Helping Students Learn: World Economic Forum | Futurity | EdScoop

• Voice Recognition Software Finally Beats Humans at Typing: NPR | VentureBeat | YouTube

Education

Ph.D. in Computer Science, Stanford University
M.S. in Computer Science, Stanford University
B.Sc. in Mathematics and Computer Science (First Class Honours), McGill University

Selected Publications

Reinforcement Learning Tutor Better Supported Lower Performers in a Math Task
S. Ruan, A. Nie, W. Steenbergen, J. He, J. Zhang, M. Guo, Y. Liu, K. D. Nguyen, C. Y. Wang, R. Ying, J. A. Landay, E. Brunskill
Machine Learning, Volume 113, Issue 5, pp. 3023–3048, 2024
Paper · Code

Variational Deep Knowledge Tracing for Language Learning
S. Ruan, W. Wei, J. A. Landay
International Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference, 2021
Paper

EnglishBot: An AI-Powered Conversational System for Second Language Learning
S. Ruan, L. Jiang, Q. Xu, Z. Liu, G. M. Davis, E. Brunskill, J. A. Landay
Proceedings of the International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces, 2021
Paper· Video

QuizBot: A Dialogue-Based Adaptive Learning System for Factual Knowledge
S. Ruan, L. Jiang, J. Xu, B. J.-K. Tham, Z. Qiu, Y. Zhu, E. L. Murnane, E. Brunskill, J. A. Landay
Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2019
Paper · Code · Video · Blog

Speech Is 3x Faster than Typing for English and Mandarin Text Entry on Mobile Devices
S. Ruan, J. O. Wobbrock, K. Liou, A. Ng, J. A. Landay
Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies, 2018
Paper · Video · Project Page

Representation Discovery for MDPs Using Bisimulation Metrics
S. Ruan, G. Comanici, P. Panangaden, D. Precup
Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 2015
Paper · Code

For a complete list of publications, see my Google Scholar profile.

Teaching

CS 230: Deep Learning
Teaching Assistant, Stanford University
Instructor: Prof. Andrew Ng and Kian Katanforoosh
Winter 2021, Winter 2020

Selected Awards and Honors

• Accel Innovation Scholar, Stanford University & Accel Partners
• HAI Seed Grant Recipient, Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute
• School of Engineering Fellowship, Stanford University
• Edward Rosenthall Memorial Prize in Mathematics, McGill University
• Sir Edward Beatty Memorial Scholarship in Mathematics, McGill University
• William Moser Prize, McGill University – Highest score on the Putnam Mathematical Competition
• James McGill Scholarship, McGill University
• CRA-W CREU Award, Computing Research Association – Canadian Research Experiences for Undergraduates
• 1st Prize, ACM ICFP Student Research Competition
• Gold Medal, 9th China Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (CGMO)

Miscellaneous

My interests outside of research span entrepreneurship, community leadership, and volunteer work. I hold an Ignite Certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, an Advanced Charter in Professional Accountancy from the Berkeley Haas School of Business, and have passed CFA Level I through the CFA Institute.

I was a founding team member of the Stanford PhD Pathways Conference and served as Graduate Community Co-Chair for Stanford Women in Computer Science. I’ve also contributed as a website UX/UI volunteer for ACM SIGCHI.