Chengkai Li

Chengkai Li is a Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), directing the Innovative Data Intelligence Research (IDIR) Lab and co-directing the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Big Data (CARIDA). He holds adjunct roles in the Multi-Interprofessional Center for Health Informatics (MICHI). His academic journey includes a Ph.D. from UIUC (2007) and faculty positions at UTA since 2007, progressing from Assistant to Full Professor (2019).

Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science (UIUC, 2007), M.E. and B.S. from Nanjing University (2000, 1997).

Research focuses on AI-driven data systems for social good, including computational fact-checking, knowledge graphs, and graph data usability. Key projects include ClaimBuster (end-to-end fact-checking), FactWatcher (automated fact monitoring), and Maverick (exceptional fact discovery). His work spans 30+ news features and collaborations with organizations like Knight Foundation and Google.

Publications (over 100) appear in top venues (SIGMOD, KDD, VLDB), with awards like the 2017 SIGMOD Most Reproducible Paper Award. He advises over 30 students and leads grants totaling millions from NSF, Knight Foundation, and industry partners.

Labs/Teams: IDIR Lab (40+ researchers), CARIDA (AI/Big Data initiatives), and partnerships with Duke Tech & Check Cooperative.