Lane Harrison

Lane Harrison is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), where he directs the Visualization and Information Equity lab (VIEW). His research leverages cognitive and perceptual principles to improve information visualization and visual analytics systems, with critical applications in cybersecurity and health-risk communication for high-stakes decision-making.

His educational background includes a BS (2009) and PhD (2013) in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Prior to WPI, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher at Tufts University's Visual Analytics Lab.

Harrison's research focuses on empirical evaluation of visualization techniques, investigating how cognitive principles can optimize user performance with visual representations. He develops design guidelines for effective visualizations in domains like cybersecurity and healthcare, while creating adaptive systems that integrate models of user abilities. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications to address real-world challenges in data interpretation.

Analysis of his 2016-2021 publications reveals consistent emphasis on user-centered evaluation methodologies, including crowdsourcing and controlled experiments. Key trends include quantifying exploration behaviors in web visualizations, addressing cognitive biases in data reproduction, and developing healthcare-focused analytics for drug interactions and risk communication. His research demonstrates strong interdisciplinary connections between visualization, cognitive science, and domain-specific applications.

His scientific recognition includes:

• Best Paper Award at ACM CHI 2016 for adaptive interface research

Harrison secures significant research funding including an NSF Grant (2022) for visualization studies and participates in an 11-school AI collaboration for intelligence professionals (2025). He teaches data visualization and web programming courses, mentoring students through the VIEW lab on projects applying visualization techniques to social issues and scientific domains.

He directs the VIEW lab at WPI, which develops computational methods to understand how people engage with data visualizations while emphasizing equitable information access. Current projects integrate user modeling with visualization systems to optimize design for diverse cognitive abilities and application contexts.