During her PhD studies, Qianqian Mu investigated how subtle and often overlooked forms of backchannel communication, such as whispers, facial expressions, gestures, and private digital messages, shape participation and inclusion in hybrid meetings (meetings including people online and in-person). Her work examined the challenges and opportunities of current backchannel methods operating in hybrid meetings, how novel unimodal and multimodal systems can support backchannel communications, and how future designs might foster more equitable participation in hybrid meetings.

Drawing on ten empirical studies and the design of prototypes including WhisperChannel and MultiChat, her research revealed how backchannels act as both buffers and bridges for connection, while also showing that these subtle exchanges remain fragile, unevenly accessible, and socially demanding. Her findings contribute to rethinking hybrid meetings as socio-technical practices in which subtle and often unspoken forms of communication play a crucial role in shaping participation, inclusion, and connection.

The PhD study was completed at the Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University.
This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Friday, 30 January 2026 at 1:00 PM
Place: Building 5342, Room 333 Ada Møderum (26), Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University, Helsingforsgade 12, 8200 Aarhus N
Title of PhD thesis: Exploring Backchannel Communication in Hybrid Meetings
Contact information: Qianqian Mu, email: qianqianmu@cs.au.dk, phone: +45 5278 5835
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Mirjam Augstein, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Austria
Professor Myriam Lewkowicz, Université de Technologie de Troyes, France
Associate Professor Sophia Yakoubov (chair), Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor: Associate Professor Eve Hoggan, Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisor: Professor Susanne Bødker, Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English.
 

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Natural Sciences (GSNS), Ny Munkegade 120, Building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C.