Hello, I’m Qilin Cao. Come chat with Kirin
An introduction to my academic website and to Kirin, an assistant for exploring my papers, projects, and research interests.
Why I built this site
I’m Qilin Cao. I wanted a place to introduce my research and give people a way to explore it through their own questions. A publication list can show you what I’ve written and where it appeared. It takes more digging to find out why I chose a particular method, how two studies relate to each other, or where to start with a specific question.
That’s why I added Kirin Assistant. You can start with “What does Qilin Cao research?” or ask how a paper reached a result, what methods it used, or what problem a project set out to solve. I hope Kirin makes the knowledge and experience I’ve gathered here easier to find and gives us a starting point for a conversation.
Where to start
- The chat homepage is where you can ask a question or try one of the examples.
- My academic profile brings together my research interests, education and work, publications, projects, honors, and contact details.
- The blog is where I’ll share research notes, thoughts on papers I’m reading, and site updates.
You can switch between Chinese and English at the top of the page. Posts with translations link to their counterparts. On the profile and blog pages, click the Kirin in the lower-right corner to open a chat.
What to ask Kirin
Try “What is intelligent urban metabolism?”, “Which papers used input-output analysis?”, or “Which variables went into the reverse osmosis membrane flux model?” For questions about a specific paper, its title, journal, or DOI can help Kirin find the right study.
Kirin draws on three kinds of material:
- Prepared answers. Common questions about my research, work, publications, and contact details use information already organized for quick lookup.
- Public material. Kirin can use the profile, blog, publication list, and public research material included in the site’s knowledge base. Follow the page or DOI links to check the sources.
- Private knowledge base. When a question needs more detail, the site can retrieve relevant passages on the server for the model to summarize and cite through public links. Original papers and private attachments stay within the system.
Kirin’s answers depend on the available evidence. If the knowledge base can’t support an answer, Kirin will say so. For anything you plan to rely on in research or writing, check the cited source or get in touch.
What I hope to build next
Over time, I’d like to distill more of what I know, what I’ve learned through experience, and even some of my personality and way of thinking into this site and Kirin. I’d like to record how I choose research questions, how I interpret results, and what I’ve learned from mistakes, so Kirin can share those experiences with people facing similar questions.
Kirin is still growing. Come say hello.
