Dr. Susu Zhang

Associate Professor

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Biography

Susu Zhang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on the intersection of measurement theory and psychometrics, exploring how these fields guide assessments of both human psychological traits and machine capabilities, particularly regarding artificial intelligence models. Dr. Zhang's work aims to identify practical questions in domains that existing statistical tools cannot adequately address and develops new statistical methods to meet current research needs. She is particularly interested in developing psychometric tools for unstructured test response data, adapting large language models (LLMs) to support the creation of measurement theory-grounded assessment, and evaluating AI models with innovative benchmark designs. Dr. Zhang holds a Ph.D. in Quantitative Psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and has previously earned degrees in Applied Mathematics, Psychology, and Mathematics from esteemed institutions. She has received several grants for her research, illustrating her commitment to advancing the field of educational assessment. Additionally, she has been recognized with multiple awards for her contributions to education and research excellence, and she actively teaches courses related to statistics and measurement in psychology.

Research Interests

Awards

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Alicia Cascallar Award

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Excellent Reviewer Award

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UIUC List Teachers Ranked Excellent Students

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UIUC LAS Lincoln Excellence Assistant Professors (LEAP) Scholar

Courses

PSYC 490: Measurement Test Development Lab STAT 428: Statistical Computing PSYC 593: Statistical Learning Behavioral Data STAT 410: Statistics Probability II Online workshop Statistical Learning Process Data Online workshop R Programming Data Science

Requirements for University of Illinois

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
IELTS
Listening
Required:7
Reading
Required:7
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:17
Reading
Required:19
Writing
Required:21
Speaking
Required:20
Total
Required:103
GRE General
Prerequisites
Mathematical background Linear Algebra Calculus
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • 3 Letters of Recommendation
  • Academic Statement of Purpose
  • Resume/CV
Specialization Notes

GRE is optional for admission to all graduate programs in Statistics. Full status admission requires higher language scores than limited status.