Qiwei Li earns prestigious Google PhD Fellowship

University of Michigan School of Information PhD student Qiwei Li has earned a 2025 Google PhD Fellowship. The fellowship recognizes outstanding graduate students who are conducting exceptional and innovative research in computer science and related fields, specifically focusing on candidates who seek to influence the future of technology.

Li’s research examines non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), which includes what people often call “revenge porn” and AI-generated deepfakes. 

“This is a problem amplified, mediated and enacted through computing systems,” she says. “For my research, I evaluate how online platforms handle reporting and build survivor-centered systems to prevent and address these harms.” 

Li is a fifth-year PhD student at UMSI, co-advised by UMSI professors Sarita Schoenebeck and Eric Gilbert. She expects to graduate in 2026, and says the fellowship will allow her to continue pursuing research that she believes matters. 

“NCII is a relatively understudied harm for computing research, even in HCI research,” she says. “To receive recognition from Google for this topic is incredibly validating for the domain, and for the value of my work.” 

Before joining UMSI, Li earned dual degrees in computer science and honors business from the University of Texas at Austin, and worked as a software engineer at Microsoft for two years. This fellowship will provide Li with funding and mentorship to continue her research. 

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Learn more about Qiwei Li’s research and interests by visiting her UMSI profile and her personal website. 

Check out UMSI’s PhD in Information program!