Born in Ürümqi, 1983, Zhenzhen Qi currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. She is an artist, educator, and researcher, recently accepted a position as an assistant professor in the Digital Media & Design Department at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Qi earned her BS from the University of California, Berkeley, an MPS from New York University's Interactive Telecommunication Program (ITP), and was awarded an EdD from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2023. Her doctoral research focused on software simulation as a mode of collective re-making and un-looping. From 2014 until her recent appointment at University of Connecticut, Dr. Qi taught as an adjunct professor at institutions including The Cooper Union, New York University, Teachers College Columbia University, City University of New York (CUNY), and Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, about interactive media, web, and game development.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Qi has given talks and led workshops at venues such as the Power Station of Art, New Museum, New York Creative Tech Week, Museum 2050, and Asia Art Archive in America. She holds fellowships from Columbia University Teachers College. Dr. Qi has been an artist-in-residence at Pioneer Works, Eyebeam, and was a member of NEW INC, the New Museum’s art and tech incubator. She co-founded zzyw, a research and art initiative with Yang Wang in New York, 2014.