Patrick C. Shih

Patrick C. Shih is an Associate Professor of Informatics at Indiana University Bloomington's Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, where he directs the Societal Computing Lab (SoCo Lab). He holds leadership roles as Director of Graduate Studies for Data Science and Co-Director of the Animal Informatics MS/PhD track. His affiliations include core faculty positions in Health Informatics and Animal-Computer Interaction programs.

Education:
Ph.D. in Information and Computer Science (UC Irvine), M.S. in Information Networking (Carnegie Mellon University), B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering (UCLA). Previously held research positions at Microsoft Research and IBM Research.

Research Focus:
Develops sociotechnical systems to support health/wellbeing in underserved populations, including older adults, autistic individuals, and communities affected by health disparities. Designs technologies for animal-assisted interventions, animal welfare enhancement, and empathy cultivation. Major projects include mobile health interventions for stress management, Alzheimer's disease tools for African American communities, and physical activity promotion for autistic adults.

Publication Trends:
Recent work (2023-2025) emphasizes AI-driven health tools for vulnerable groups, including generative AI for Alzheimer's education, mobile apps for chronic disease management, and culturally tailored interventions. Research spans HCI, health informatics, and community-based participatory design, with strong focus on real-world applicability and health equity.

Awards & Honors:

• ACM Senior Member (2020)
• NSF CAREER Award (2022)
• Multiple Indiana University teaching/mentoring awards (2016-2019)
• Euroinvent Silver Medal Award
• Best Paper Awards at ACM CSCW, ISCRAM

Grants & Projects:

• $3.7M NIH grant for studying environmental stressors and cognitive decline in older adults (2024)
• NSF-funded mobile stress measurement app for midlife adults (2023)
• Mobile 'just-in-time' stress intervention for breast cancer survivors (2022)

Labs & Teams:
Leads the Societal Computing Lab (SoCo Lab) focusing on community-centered technology design. Collaborates with healthcare institutions, zoos, and community organizations. Develops interdisciplinary research teams for projects in health informatics, animal-computer interaction, and crisis response technologies.