Phoebe Ching

Hello World

My name is Phoebe. I make mathematical models that describe how we perceive the world! I like to refer to myself as a Vision Scientist in Training as I am currently working towards a PhD at York University in Canada. I received two MPhil degrees (Bioengineering, Industrial Engineering and Decision Analytics) from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. I am originally from Manila, Philippines and speak fluent Tagalog. My colleagues say that I am skilled at editorial work (i.e. proofreading their application materials). In my free time, I like to draw, read fiction, and play chill games. I am at my happiest while working on a passion project.

Work

Industry Collaborations

Stereoscopic Depth Perception User Study, Oct 2024-Present

• We are examining how mismatch between a user's anatomy and design configurations can affect perception in VR.

Pupil Swim User Study, 2022-2023

• We developed a psychophysical model for predictive testing of pupil swim in new VR-HMD designs.
• Read our paper here: https://doi.org/10.1002/sdtp.16736

Machine-learning "sensors" for water quality, 2020-2022

• A project with the Drainage Services Department of Hong Kong.
• We predicted complex water quality parameters from simpler sensors.
• Read our paper here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2022.112953
• Also, read our review paper based on my preparations for this project: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2021.102367

Teaching Experience

York University
Teaching Assistant, 2024

• TA for the course EECS 4441 Human-Computer Interactions taught by Prof. I. Scott MacKenzie.

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Instructional Assistant, 2023-2024

• Teaching team for COMP 1021 (an introductory Python programming course) coordinated by Prof. David Rossiter.
• Teaching team for COMP 2211 Exploring Artificial Intelligence coordinated by Prof. Desmond Tsoi.

De La Salle University
Teaching Associate, 2018-2019; Lecturer, 2017-2018

• Taught courses on statistics, engineering economy, operations maangement, and system dynamics.
• Briefly Vice Chair for the Industrial (Systems) Engineering Department (Jan-Aug 2019).

Academic Background

PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

York University, 2024-Present

• Member of the Virtual Reality and Perception Lab supervised by Prof. Robert Allison.

MPhil in Bioengineering

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2021-2023

• Thesis on psychophysical modeling of pupil swim from VR-HMD supervised by Prof. Richard So: link to my thesis

AOTULE Summer Program Representative

Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2022

• Member of Cross Laboratory supervised by Prof. Jeffrey Cross.
• Read our published collaboration on using machine learning to streamline biofuel experiments: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.3c04275
• I won an Excellent Presentation Award at Tokyo Tech's Multidisciplinary Internation Student Workshop: see certificate here

MPhil in Industrial Engineering and Decision Analytics

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2019-2021

• Thesis on machine learning applications to environmental engineering: link to my thesis

BS-MS Honors Program in Industrial Engineering

De La Salle University - Manila, 2012-2017

• Supervised by Dr. Jose Edgar S. Mutuc.

Awards

• Ontario Graduate Scholarship, 2025-2026
• Connected Minds Scholarship, 2025-2026
• Engineering Research Development and Technology Grant, 2016-2017

Co-curricular Activities

Graphics Designer

Various events, York University, 2024-2025

• I designed the logo for the 2025 CIAN-CVR conference The Brain and Integrative Vision: see the logo here.
• I designed pub materials for the 2025 VISTA Student Retreat: see the poster here.

Hall Tutor

Jockey Club Hall, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2022-2023

• I channeled my passion for art into organizing workshops and museum tours for students living in the dormitory.

Peer Companion

Counseling and Wellness Center, HKUST, 2021-2022

• I assisted the Counseling Center in providing holistic care for students during the COVID lockdown period.

Community Garden Member

Sustainability Office, HKUST, 2020-2022

• We took care of HKUST's vegetable and flower garden, regularly distributing crops to members of the HKUST community.

Vice President for Academics

Industrial Management Engineering Society, De La Salle University, 2015-2016

• I used crowdsourcing to organize tutorials and compile reviewers with the input of our entire cohort to help students prepare for exams and foster our sense of community.

Skills

I use Blender and Unity to create the stimuli for my user studies. I code in Python for analysis and computational modeling and C# for making stimuli.

One of my hobbies is graphic design and I am an amateur illustrator. This also means that I am familiar with using CSS, HTML, and JavaScript in web design.

My other hobby is creative writing so I'm very open to helping friends review their application materials and manuscripts. :)