Research

My research have two main focuses: achieveing situational awareness in AI through multimodal learning, including 3D/4D reconstruction, depth sensing, and fine-grained skill analysis.
Then, I tried to make AI trustworthy and efficient under deployment constraints: I have worked on bias evaluation for LLM compression, deployment optimization on low-power hardware, and abalation tests for multi-agent.
Lastly, I'd like to push the application of AI into healthcare, things I've attempted includes medical image analysis, surgical video coaching, and brain-computer interface.

Selected Publications

[1] Evaluating Behavior Preservation in INT8-Quantized Reinforcement-Learning Controllers for Intelligent Deep Brain Stimulation

Mairui Li, Nick Carter, Raghav P. Pothukuchi, Samarjit Chakraborty

Under review, IEEE-BSN, 2026

[2] AutoResearchClaw: Self-Reinforcing Autonomous Research with Human-AI Collaboration

Jiaqi Liu, Shi Qiu, Mairui Li, et al.

Under review, NeurIPS, 2026

[3] Test-Time Adaptation for Non-stationary Time Series: From Synthetic Regime Shifts to Financial Markets

Yurui Wu*, Qingying Deng*, Wonou Chung*, Mairui Li*  (*equal contribution)

Preprint, 2025

Research Experience

AI-Assisted Surgical Video Coaching

First Author · Advisor: Gedas Bertasius, Ph.D.

UNC Chapel Hill · Mar. 2025 – Present

3D/4D Reconstruction Neural Rendering Multimodal Learning Video Understanding

Developing a multimodal surgical video coaching dataset, targeting 300+ clips and 1,000+ trainee-style Q&A pairs for intraoperative error recognition and corrective feedback.

Bias Induced by VLM & LLM Compression

First Author · Advisor: Chudi Zhong, Ph.D.

UNC Chapel Hill · Mar. 2025 – Present

VLMs LLMs Pruning Quantization Fairness

Leading evaluation of compressed large language models, focusing on reliability, calibration, and deployment tradeoffs. Developing benchmarking pipelines across pruning and quantization methods to analyze performance and robustness under constraints.

Embedded RL Systems for Adaptive Neurostimulation (Honors Thesis)

First Author · Advisors: Samarjit Chakraborty, Ph.D.; Raghav Pothukuchi, Ph.D.

UNC Chapel Hill · Aug. 2024 – Apr. 2025

Reinforcement Learning Embedded Systems INT8 Quantization ESP32-S3

Designed reinforcement learning agent for adaptive embedded deep brain stimulation, reducing Parkinsonian biomarker activity by 7%. Performed FP32-to-INT8 quantization and benchmarked latency, power, and inference for low-power deployment.

Human-in-the-Loop Ablation Test for Autonomous Research Agent

Core Researcher · Advisors: Mingyu Ding, Ph.D.; Huaxiu Yao, Ph.D.

UNC Chapel Hill · Feb. 2025 – Apr. 2025

Agentic AI Ablation Studies Human-in-the-Loop

Designed 118 ablation studies comparing ML tasks, analyzing human-in-the-loop evaluation framework for an autonomous AI research pipeline.

3D/4D Multimodal Neuroimaging Data Pipeline

Core Researcher · Advisor: Margaret Sheridan, Ph.D.

UNC Chapel Hill · Oct. 2024 – May 2025

Neuroimaging fMRI Multimodal Dimensionality Reduction

Conducted multimodal preprocessing across 30+ subjects and 5 conditions, reducing batch runtime by 21%. Modeled spatiotemporal response patterns with region features and dimensionality reduction.

Deep Learning for Non-Stationary Time Series

Core Researcher · Advisor: Yao Li, Ph.D.

UNC Chapel Hill · Jan. 2025 – Dec. 2025

Time Series Test-Time Adaptation Distribution Shift

Studied test-time adaptation for non-stationary forecasting under synthetic drift and financial regime shifts.

Structured Prompting for Human-LLM Interaction Study

Core Researcher · Advisor: Peter Gordon, Ph.D.

UNC Chapel Hill · Dec. 2023 – May 2024

LLM Prompt Engineering NLP

Built output validation and constrained response schemas, reducing malformed or off-task outputs by 60% in pilot testing. Added run-level traceability for a 500-participant multi-turn study.

Teaching & Service

President — MAPS Research Non-Profit

Leadership

Leading a research non-profit organization that aims to fill the lack of Chinese-specific data in mental health datasets and research.

Teaching Assistant & Project Manager

COMP 301 Object-Oriented Programming, UNC Computer Science

Mentored 60 students across 30+ software projects through architecture reviews, Git workflows, and sprint planning.