Jiaqi Gong

Dr. Jiaqi Gong serves as Associate Professor in Computer Science and Adjunct Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at The University of Alabama's College of Engineering, while directing the Alabama Center for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.

His academic foundation includes:

• B.S. in Engineering, China University of Geoscience (2004)
• Ph.D. in Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (2010)

Dr. Gong's research pioneers human-AI convergence through cyber-physical systems and smart health technologies, developing mobile/wearable platforms to enhance human perceptual, cognitive, and physical capabilities. His work spans artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, and IoT with applications in healthcare, environmental monitoring, and education. The Sensor-Accelerated Intelligent Learning (SAIL) laboratory he founded drives innovation in behavior change interventions, human movement modeling, and educational data mining.

Recent publications reveal strong interdisciplinary trends: healthcare AI dominates with medication adherence prediction and surgical classification systems, while environmental applications feature flood-risk communication and drought analysis. His work increasingly integrates generative AI and LLMs across domains, demonstrating methodological innovation in federated learning, knowledge graphs, and explainable storytelling frameworks.

Notable recognitions include:

• Best Student Paper Award, IEEE/ACM Connected Health Conference (2022)
• Best Student Paper Award, Body Sensor Networks Conference (2019)
• Data Challenge Win, IEEE Biomedical Health Informatics (2018)
• Best Paper Award, Body Area Networks Conference (2014)
• Best Demonstration Award, IEEE Wireless Health Conference (2014)

Dr. Gong leads significant funded projects including a $2M CDC/NIOSH grant for first responder safety and $3M NSF funding for hydrologic research. As SAIL laboratory director, he mentors students in developing clinically deployed technologies for multiple sclerosis, dementia, and mental health. Future work focuses on scaling AI applications in chronic disease management and climate resilience through the Alabama AI Center.

The SAIL laboratory (founded 2017) operates as a multidisciplinary hub developing wearable/mobile systems for health applications, with active collaborations across medical clinics and engineering departments for real-world deployment of behavior change interventions and movement analysis tools.