Ke Li

Dr. Ke Li is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hamburg, working within the Human-Computer Interaction group at the Department of Informatics. She is currently leading the development of intelligent virtual human technologies as part of the European Union-funded project PRESENCE. Her work bridges computer science, human-computer interaction, and physics applications, focusing on creating immersive experiences for complex operational environments.

Dr. Li received her Bachelor's of Science degree in Physics from Centre College (USA) in May 2018 and her Master's degree in Optics and Photonics from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) in April 2021. She completed her PhD as a fellow of the Helmholtz Graduate School for the Structure of Matter (DASHH) in October 2024, successfully defending her dissertation entitled "Towards a Particle Accelerator Metaverse: Mixed Reality Interfaces for Operations of Complex Physics Facilities" under the supervision of Prof. Frank Steinicke, Dr. Reinhard Bacher, and Prof. Wim Leemans.

Dr. Li has a strong technical background in mixed and augmented reality, with research interests spanning immersive head-mounted displays, computer graphics and vision (particularly Neural Radiance Fields and 3D Gaussian Splatting), intelligent virtual agents, and human-robot interaction. Her work often combines theoretical computer science with practical applications in scientific environments, particularly focusing on how immersive technologies can improve workflows in complex and hazardous conditions like particle accelerator facilities.

Analysis of Dr. Li's publications reveals a clear progression from foundational work in mixed reality display technologies (2022-2023) toward increasingly sophisticated applications of neural rendering techniques and intelligent virtual agents (2024-2025). Her research consistently bridges the gap between theoretical computer graphics and practical applications in scientific environments, with particular emphasis on real-time performance, user experience, and seamless integration of virtual and physical elements. A notable trend is her growing focus on multimodal interaction frameworks that enable more natural communication between humans and intelligent virtual agents.

Scientific Awards:

• Honorable Mention Award for the Best Design at the Student Competition at IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR), 2023

Dr. Li serves as a reviewer for various international XR conferences and journals, including IEEE ISMAR, ACM VRST, IEEE TVCG Journal, IEEE VR, and ACM SIGCHI. She has received special recognition for outstanding review work for TVCG journal and paper reviews. Her research is supported by the European Union-funded PRESENCE project and previously by the Helmholtz Graduate School for the Structure of Matter (DASHH) with Grant-No. HIDSS-0002, and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Dr. Li is actively involved in the XR Lab at the University of Hamburg and has collaborated with researchers at the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY), the Cyber Interface Lab at the University of Tokyo, and the ARTANIM foundation. Her technical expertise spans Unity development, neural rendering implementation, sensor fusion techniques, and real-time system optimization for immersive applications.