Tong Lin | UMSI

About Me

Hi, I am Tong Lin! I am a second year Ph.D. student at UMSI, advised by Dr. Sabina Tomkins. My research interests broadly focus on Large Language Models (LLMs) and Machine Learning in Computational Social Science. Specifically, I explore active learning for LLMs, i.e. how LLMs can more effectively generate and support annotations that enhance CSS datasets and research. I’m also interested in using computational tools to better understand conversations and user behavior on social media.

More about me: I am a desperate cat and dog lover, also a passionate music admirer, a video game enthusiast, a travel lover, a cuisine explorer, a video content creator, a suspense & detective TV series seeker, a(n) (exceptionally amateur) photographer, and a thousand other things.

Education

Ph.D. in Information, School of Information, University of Michigan, 2028 (expected)
M.S. in Data Science, University of Michigan, 2023
M.S. in Industrial & Operations Engineering, University of Michigan, 2023
B.S. in Computer Science, Hong Kong Baptist University, 2021

Research Interests

Computational Social Science
Large Language Model
Machine Learning
Social Media

News

[May. 2025] Thrilled to starting my Applied Scientist internship at Amazon, Seattle!
[Nov. 2024] Present our work “Tab2Text-A framework for deep learning with tabular data” at EMNLP’24, Miami!
[Jul. 2024] Present our idea “Tab2Text-A framework for deep learning with tabular data” at IC2S2’24, Philadelphia!
[Jun. 2024] Enjoyed my time at ICWSM’24, Buffalo!
[Aug. 2023] Present our work “SUSTAINABLESIGNALS: An AI Approach for Inferring Consumer Product Sustainability” at IJCAI’23, Macao!
[Mar. 2023] Get admitted to UMSI and thrilled to become part of this big community!
[Oct. 2022] My homepage starts running wohooo~

Publications

(* equal contribution)

Tong Lin*, Jason Yan*, David Jurgens, and Sabina Tomkins
Tab2Text-A framework for deep learning with tabular data
EMNLP Findings 2024
[Paper] | [Code]
Tong Lin*, Tianliang Xu*, Amit Zac, and Sabina Tomkins
SUSTAINABLESIGNALS: An AI Approach for Inferring Consumer Product Sustainability
IJCAI 2023, AI and Social Good Track
[Paper] | [Code]

Services & Experiences

[Aug 2023] Volunteer at IJCAI’23, Macau