Jan. 2026
🎉 I passed my Ph.D. preliminary examination.
Hello! I am Xingjian (pronounced “Shing-jee-en”) Ma, a third-year Ph.D. candidate in the Human Factors and Machine Learning (HFML) Lab in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
My research focuses on the computational modeling of human behavior as a core component of human–automation systems. Specifically, my work integrates human factors engineering with probabilistic cognitive modeling (e.g., POMDP–Active Inference) and machine learning methods to investigate human behavior and decision-making in complex systems, with the goal of improving system performance and safety.
Research
Computational Human Behavior Modeling in Remote Driving under Latency
Remote driving is a mode of vehicle operation in which a human operator remotely performs the dynamic driving task (DDT) when an automated driving system (ADS) encounters situations beyond its operational design domain (ODD). As part of remote assistance frameworks, it enables operators to safely guide vehicles until automated driving can resume, supporting the safe deployment of automated transportation systems.
Dynamic Trust and Reliance in Malfunctioning Driving Automation and Risky Environments
Trust in automated systems evolves as users interact with the system and observe its performance in different situations. Dynamic trust and reliance describe how users adjust their reliance decisions based on system behavior, context, and prior experience. Achieving trust calibration—aligning user trust and reliance with the system’s actual capabilities—is critical for safe and effective human–automation collaboration.
Updates
Jan. 2026
🎙️ I attended the 2026 TRB Annual Meeting and presented our work on human adaptation patterns in remote driving under latency.
Oct. 2025
🎙️ Our work on trust modeling in automated driving with physiological data was presented at ASPIRE—the 69th HFES International Annual Meeting.
Apr. 2025
🎙️ I attended the 2025 Safe Mobility Conference and presented our work on latency effects on human in remote driving.
Mar. 2025
📝 Our work What leads to reliance on automated vehicles? An inferential analysis of responses to variable AV performance was published in Applied Ergonomics.
Oct. 2024
🎉 I passed my Ph.D. qualifying examination.
Sep. 2024
🎙️ I attended ASPIRE—the 68th HFES International Annual Meeting and presented our works on discrete event simulation of remote operator workload and reliance decision modeling in automated vehicles
Jan. 2024
🎙️ Our work on statistical pattern–based analysis of visual scanning behavior in driving was presented at the 2024 TRB Annual Meeting.
Aug. 2023
🏫 I joined the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a Ph.D. student in Industrial Engineering (Human Factors track).