Qitong Li

I am an incoming Ph.D. student in Computer Science at Northwestern University, advised by Prof. Nivedita Arora in the Embodied Systems Lab. My research lies at the intersection of ubiquitous computing, plant biology, and education, with a focus on building deployable sensing platforms that make biological and environmental processes observable, interpretable, and interactive.

Research

I design low-cost, bio-integrated sensing systems that bridge physical hardware and data-driven modeling. Recent projects include:

PhytoBits a frugal sensing toolkit for monitoring plant physiological rhythms in educational and research settings.
CAM Scope bio-compatible, hydrogel-based organic electrochemical transistor(OECT) device for in-vivo monitoring of plant metabolic dynamics.

My broader interests span bio-integrated electronics, ubiquitous computing in living environments, and computational tools for scientific learning. My long-term goal is to develop intelligent sensing systems that extend AI beyond screens and into physical, biological environments.

Publications

Towards a Frugal Photosynthesis Sensing Toolkit for Data-Driven Plant Science Education and Exploration Qitong Li, Raj Nileshbhai Dave, Rhema Amanda Phiri, Leo Zhang, Xiaoyu Zheng, Ariana Blake, Livia Ford, Sarah Jones, Susan R. Strickler, Nivedita Arora arXivarXiv:2604.26305

News

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Beyond research, I am passionate about service and community engagement. I mentor students in STEM, volunteer in science education initiatives, and build interactive systems that make technology accessible. I also love musicals, movies and concerts, whether attending performances, helping backstage with productions, or simply enjoying them as a creative outlet.