{"686803":{"#nid":"686803","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Earning a Ph.D. When Your Plate is More than Full","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor Yuchen Zhao, who is graduating this week, the path to a Ph.D. in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/dm.lmc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EDigital Media\u003C\/a\u003E wasn\u2019t just about mastering code or theory. It was about mastering time itself.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMidway through her doctoral studies in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/lmc.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ethe School of Literature, Media, and Communication\u003C\/a\u003E, Zhao\u2019s commitments expanded in two demanding directions: she became a mother and a business co-owner with her husband. Suddenly, time for research became a particularly precious commodity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAfter becoming a mother, my available working time each day became extremely limited \u2014 sometimes only two hours,\u201d \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/zhaoyuchen8877\/?locale=en_US\u0022\u003EZhao\u003C\/a\u003E said. \u201cI had to become very efficient and focused with the time I had.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt was within those tight constraints \u2014 balancing the rigors of entrepreneurship and parenthood \u2014 that Zhao developed \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biovr.tech\/\u0022\u003EBioVR\u003C\/a\u003E, which looks to reimagine how humans interact with technology. The technology is at the heart of Zhao\u2019s other startup.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInnovating from the Inside Out\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EZhao\u2019s research moves beyond the standard handheld controllers and head-tracking used in many virtual reality and augmented reality experiences. BioVR, on the other hand, is all about how internal physiological signals such as heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rhythm can control a virtual environment in real time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I wanted to investigate what happens when the interaction comes from inside the body,\u0022 Zhao said. \u0022BioVR demonstrates how internal states can become meaningful, expressive input for interactive systems.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe applications of her work are myriad, from horror games that adapt to a player\u2019s fear levels to rehabilitation systems that automatically adjust difficulty based on a patient\u0027s physiological response.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EZhao credits the pressure of her personal life with sharpening her academic focus. Running a business while pursuing a degree prevented her from staying in an \u0022academic bubble.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Running a business opened my eyes to another path \u2014 how research can connect to real societal needs,\u0022 she said. \u0022Becoming a mother also reshaped my values. It reminded me that health and family relationships should never be taken for granted.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENext Steps\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EZhao is now headed to Yale University, where she will work as a postdoctoral associate and continue her research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore she goes, however, she has advice to other Georgia Tech students facing similar juggling acts: success is built on sustainability.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I learned that physical and mental health are the foundation of everything,\u0022 she said. \u0022No matter how many tasks you have, try not to panic or rush. Organize priorities step by step, and most importantly, protect your sleep.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhile balancing the demands of motherhood and entrepreneurship, Digital Media Ph.D. Yuchen Zhao, who graduates this week, developed BioVR, a system that utilizes internal physiological signals to control virtual environments.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"While balancing the demands of motherhood and entrepreneurship, Digital Media Ph.D. graduate Yuchen Zhao developed BioVR, a system that utilizes internal physiological signals to control virtual environments."}],"uid":"34600","created_gmt":"2025-12-09 16:43:40","changed_gmt":"2026-01-09 13:35:16","author":"mpearson34","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-12-09T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-12-09T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678805":{"id":"678805","type":"image","title":"yuchen-zhao-family.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EYuchen Zhao, left, with her daughter, Qianyu Ma, and husband, Mile Ma. Zhao juggled her responsibilities as a researcher trying to commercialize her work, as a new mom, and business co-owner with her husband, all while studying for her Ph.D.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1765298633","gmt_created":"2025-12-09 16:43:53","changed":"1765309676","gmt_changed":"2025-12-09 19:47:56","alt":"A young family poses for a photo in front of green vegetation","file":{"fid":"262888","name":"yuchen-zhao-family.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/09\/yuchen-zhao-family.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/09\/yuchen-zhao-family.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":446524,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/12\/09\/yuchen-zhao-family.jpg?itok=IEHh6IjK"}},"678809":{"id":"678809","type":"image","title":"yuchen-zhao-research.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EZhao\u0027s BioVR uses internal physiological signals such as heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rhythm to control a virtual environment in real time.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1765308949","gmt_created":"2025-12-09 19:35:49","changed":"1765308949","gmt_changed":"2025-12-09 19:35:49","alt":"A woman on an exercise machine wearing a VR headset in an office or lab.","file":{"fid":"262892","name":"yuchen-zhao-research.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/09\/yuchen-zhao-research.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/12\/09\/yuchen-zhao-research.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":884850,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/12\/09\/yuchen-zhao-research.jpg?itok=Chkd-R2Q"}}},"media_ids":["678805","678809"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1283","name":"School of Literature, Media, and Communication"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMichael Pearson\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}