Yildiz Esener

Health informatics, human-computer interaction (HCI), human-centered design and user experience (UX), and social media analysis.

• Lis and Philip Turner Outstanding Student Paper/Project Award, University of North Texas, Spring 2023
• LIS Information Science Excellence Scholarship, University of North Texas, Fall 2021
• Margaret Irby Nichols Endowed Scholarship, University of North Texas, Spring 2020

Yildiz Esener is a teaching assistant professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She holds a PhD in information science with a concentration in data science from the University of North Texas, supported by a multidisciplinary academic background that includes a bachelor’s degree in counseling psychology and a master’s degree in educational psychology. Her research centers on advanced data analytics techniques such as social media analysis, text mining, topic modeling, and sentiment analysis, with a particular focus on understanding online behaviors and digital mental health—especially among marginalized populations. She applies methods from natural language processing (NLP) and leverages large language models (LLMs) to analyze user-generated app reviews, aiming to uncover insights into psychological well-being and user needs. Grounded in principles of human-computer interaction (HCI), human-centered design, and user experience (UX), her work contributes to the development and evaluation of effective, inclusive mental health technologies. Her research has been published in respected journals, including the Journal of Medical Internet Research and the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction.

In addition to her research, she brings substantial teaching experience in both face-to-face and online formats. She has taught a wide range of courses, including Introduction to Python Programming, Health Data Analytics, and Fundamentals of Data Science. She is deeply committed to integrating computational tools with real-world applications, with a strong emphasis on mental health.

Esener Y, Kim H, Kaya A, and Kaz-Onyeakazi I. (in press). Assessing the usability & acceptability of PTSD apps: insights from systematic literature review. Int J Hum Computer Interact. Forthcoming.

Eun L., Kim H., Esener Y., and McCall T. (2024). Examining Social Connections of Black American

College Students Pre- and Peri-COVID-19 Pandemic: Social Network Analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research

Esener Y., McCall T., Lakdawala A. &, Kim H. (2023). Seeking and Providing Social Support on Twitter for Trauma and Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Content and Sentiment Analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research,vol. 25: e46343 URL: https://www.jmir.org/2023/1/e46343 DOI: 10.2196/46343

Smith, D., Colby, D., Esener, Y.Y., Milburn, S., (2021). A Study of One-to-One Laptop Implementation: Suggestions for The Role of School Librarians, Journal of School Library Research, vol. 24.

Smith, D., Milburn, S., Colby, D., Esener, Y., & Gill, D. (2021). What Is Important for Survival?: The Analysis of a School Librarian COVID-19 Blog Post Corpus. International Association of School Librarianship.Selected Papers from the ...Annual Conference, , 1-12. https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/what-is-important-survival-analysis-school/docview/2664102361/se-2

Zeleke, M., Hong, L., Kaz-Onyeakazi, I., Milburn, Stacie., Esener, Y., & Smith, D. (2020). # NoMore : An Analysis of Topics and Sentiments Indicative of the War in Ethiopia. 1–8. iConference 2023 Proceedings. (Poster Award Finalists)