Michel Beaudouin-Lafon

Michel Beaudouin-Lafon is a Professor of Computer Science at Université Paris-Saclay, affiliated with LISN (Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Sciences du Numériques), a joint lab between Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, and Inria. He is also a member of the French Academy of Sciences, a senior fellow of the Institut Universitaire de France, and an ACM Fellow. He currently serves as deputy director of LISN and chairs the ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee. He previously directed LRI, the former computer science laboratory of Université Paris-Sud.

His research interests are centered on human-computer interaction, with a focus on instrumental interaction, generative theories of interaction, interaction substrates, and collaborative computing. He has pioneered novel interaction techniques involving gesture, sound, and multi-surface environments, notably through the WILD project. His theoretical work aims to unify principles of interaction beyond traditional application boundaries.

The recent publications of Michel Beaudouin-Lafon reflect a consistent focus on foundational aspects of interaction, including interaction histories, cross-document workflows, and the design of substrates that support flexible and powerful user tools. His work bridges theoretical modeling with practical system design, often exploring how users reason with and through digital tools. Themes of collaboration, consistency, and cognitive support run through his recent research.

His scientific honors include:

• CNRS Silver Medal
• ACM Fellow (2022)
• ACM SIGCHI Lifetime Service Award
• ERC Advanced Grant and Proof-of-Concept Grant
• Senior Fellow, Institut Universitaire de France
• Member, French Academy of Sciences

Michel Beaudouin-Lafon has advised over 35 PhD students, including Ignacio Avellino, Germán Leiva, and Wanyu (Abby) Liu. He has led major research infrastructure projects such as Digiscope and CONTINUUM, and is a co-director of the 38M€ eNSEMBLE project on the future of digital collaboration. He founded the Francophone HCI association AFIHM and has held numerous leadership roles in ACM and SIGCHI, including Technical Program Co-chair of CHI 2013 and editorial board membership for ACM TOCHI and ACM Books.

His research is conducted within the Ex-Situ group, a joint research team between LISN, CNRS, and Inria, which focuses on situated and instrumental interaction. The group explores how users interact with complex systems across multiple devices and contexts, emphasizing continuity, traceability, and cognitive support.