About

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Yumeng Hou is a researcher in digital museology and computational archives, currently affiliated with the Laboratory for Experimental Museology (eM+), Digital Humanities Institute, EPFL. Her research aims to bridge the gaps between humanities interpretations and data science instruments in the context of embodied knowledge archives. It explores how computational analytics and digital embodiment can be combined to transform and transmit knowledge of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), particularly embodied traditions, through a framework that integrates knowledge representation, cultural analytics, visualization, human-centric computing, embodied interaction, and digital creativity.

Under this theme, Hou completed her PhD titled "EncodingActs: Modeling, Representing and Transmitting Embodied Knowledge in Traditional Martial Arts". This work addresses the gap between expert interpretations and data science instruments in the context of traditional Chinese martial arts, thereby unlocking a multimodal archive for public access to martial knowledge that associates the body and mind. Hou's research outcomes have been demonstrated through publications in prestigious academic journals, paper presentations, speeches at international conferences, and contributions to books. She is a finalist for the Emerging Scholar Best Paper Award at the ADHO Digital Humanities Conference 2023.

Prior to her doctoral studies, Hou obtained her MSc degree in Computer Science from EPFL and a BEng in Digital Media Technology from Zhejiang University. She holds research and industry experience across diverse yet converging sectors, including data visualization, visual analytics, human-computer interaction, media cloud computing, and mixed reality, with a portfolio of writings, installations, and creative works.

Research keywords: digital museology, computational archives, data visualization, visual analytics, cultural user experience, digital embodiment, intangible cultural heritage, martial arts

Professional keywords: media cloud technologies, creative museums, digitization, product design, analytics, project management, user experience

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