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"We must always exert the full strength of our imagination to examine where the full use of our new modalities may lead us." — Norbert Wiener

Max Melchior Lang

About

I am a DPhil candidate at the University of Oxford's Department of Population Health and Statistics. My research examines the co-distribution of schistosomiasis and malaria, exploring shared risk factors and potential intervention strategies for these co-endemic diseases. This research is part of the Schistotrack Group, a cohort study in Uganda, and my project is supervised by Dr. Goylette F. Chami and Prof. Christl Donnelly.

Beyond my DPhil, a central focus of my research is the development and application of AI text and voice agents, also known as human dialogue systems. This interest, which grew from my earlier work in survey methodology under Prof. Frauke Kreuter in Munich, now explores how these conversational AI systems can transform traditional processes, primarily in two key domains: data collection methodologies and medical applications.

In the domain of data collection, my work on AI voice agents has led to industry collaborations, most notably with 60 Decibels Inc. I am closely involved in developing their fully automated LLM-powered telephone survey system. This system employs AI agents to conduct impact research through phone conversations that emulate human-led interviews.

For medical applications, a key project is 'AVA' (AI-supported Vaccination Assistant). Together with medical experts I am developing an AI voice agent (formerly known as a human dialog system) to improve vaccination uptake in Germany.

I am always happy to discuss research ideas and look forward to new collaborations. Feel free to reach out via email if you'd like to connect.

Publications

2025

2024

2023

Talks

2025

2024

2023

Ongoing Projects

Scholarships, Awards & Grants

Funding

My research is graciously funded by the Department of Population Health, University of Oxford.

Contact

Max Melchior Lang

Big Data Institute
Old Road Campus, University of Oxford
Oxford OX3 7LF, United Kingdom

Email: max.lang[at]stx.ox.ac.uk

ORCID: 0009-0004-6815-5321