Prof. Marc Stamminger is a Professor of Visual Computing at FAU since 2002, leading the Chair of Computer Science 9 (Computer Graphics). His work focuses on algorithms for synthesizing and analyzing images through 3D modeling, LiDAR/Radar capture, and light simulation. He co-leads FAU Solar, applying 3D modeling for environmental lighting analysis under varying conditions. Stamminger has published over 250 papers, winning prestigious awards like the Siggraph Test-of-Time Award. He holds executive roles in Eurographics and is Vice Dean of FAU's Technical Faculty. Research interests span neural rendering , 3D reconstruction , radar imaging , and medical visualization . Recent work emphasizes radiance field rendering (e.g., VR-Splatting, INPC) and radar-based human motion tracking. His lab's FAU Solar project integrates large-scale 3D models with environmental lighting simulations. Publications trends highlight neural rendering optimizations , radar-MIMO systems , and agricultural digital twins . Key collaborations involve medical imaging (e.g., vocal fold reconstruction) and autonomous driving data generation. Awards: Siggraph Test-of-Time (2023?), 2× Siggraph Best-Of-Show Grants/Teams: FAU Solar Lab, Eurographics leadership, FAU Vice Dean Labs: Chair of Computer Science 9, FAU Solar Initiative
Toby Jia-Jun Li is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, where he leads the SaNDwich Lab. He also serves as the Director of the Human-Centered Responsible AI Lab in the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society and is a Faculty Fellow at the Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI). Previously, he was affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) and GroupLens Research. Dr. Li's research spans the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), End-User Software Engineering, Machine Learning (ML), and Natural Language Processing (NLP), with recent work focusing on addressing societal challenges in the future of work through human-AI collaborative approaches. His work has resulted in over 40 publications at premier venues including CHI, UIST, CSCW, ACL, and ICSE, with 8 papers winning Best Paper or Honorable Mention awards. His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on human-AI collaboration across various domains, including code understanding, privacy, accessibility, and creative tools. The work shows a trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated integration of human-centered design with AI capabilities, particularly using large language models to enhance human productivity and address societal challenges. Google Research Scholar Award recipient Recipient of Yahoo! Fellowship ($100,000/year) Best Paper Award at UIST 2020 Best Paper Honorable Mention Award at CHI 2021 Best Paper Award at CSCW 2024 Best Paper Award at CHI 2025 Dr. Li actively mentors Ph.D. students and has established collaborations with Google, Microsoft Research, IBM Research, Adobe, Verizon, and J.P. Morgan. His research has been supported by NSF, Google Research Scholar Program, AnalytiXIN Initiative, Yahoo! InMind project, and J.P. Morgan. He is currently recruiting Ph.D. students and undergraduate researchers for his SaNDwich Lab, which focuses on developing interactive systems to empower individuals to create, configure, and extend AI-powered computing systems.
Marc Erich Latoschik is a Professor in the Department of Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Würzburg, Germany. He previously held roles at Bayreuth University, Bielefeld University, and FHTW Berlin. His research focuses on virtual and augmented reality, embodiment, human-computer interaction, and applications in health, education, and social systems. Education: Completed his PhD in 2001 at Bielefeld University with a thesis on multimodal interaction in virtual reality. Research Interests: Embodied interaction, virtual embodiment, presence and plausibility in VR/AR, avatar design, social virtual reality, health applications (e.g., VR therapy for body image issues), and XR security/privacy. Active in developing frameworks like Reality Stack I/O and MAIL for VR/AR research. Key Projects: ViTraS study on body image exercises in VR, avatars for mass use via smartphone reconstruction, and motion-based biometrics in XR. Collaborates with medical teams on cybersickness detection and emergency training simulations. Labs/Teams: Leads research groups on immersive technologies and social VR applications. Involved in interdisciplinary projects combining HCI, AI, and healthcare.
Gerd Bruder is an Associate Professor at the University of Central Florida , affiliated with the Department of Computer Science . He previously held positions as a Research Associate Professor at UCF's Institute for Simulation and Training (2016-2022), Post-Doc at University of Hamburg (2014-2016), and Post-Doc at University of Würzburg (2011-2014). Habilitation : Computer Science, University of Hamburg (2017) Ph.D. : Computer Science, University of Münster (2011) M.Sc. : Computer Science (minor in Mathematics), University of Münster (2009) Research Interests : Gerd Bruder's work focuses on Extended Reality (XR) systems, spanning Virtual Reality (VR) , Augmented Reality (AR) , and Mixed Reality (MR) . Key areas include human factors , digital twins , 3D user interfaces , and perceptual modeling , with applications in healthcare, military operations, architecture, and smart environments. Recent Publications highlight innovations in XR locomotion , trust calibration with autonomous agents, spatial cognition , and haptic-visual integration . His 2025 articles address task-switching efficiency in XR and collaborative mixed reality design. Scientific Awards : Best Paper at ACM VRST 2023 2021 TechConnect Innovation Award Best Demo at ACM SUI 2021 Multiple Best Paper Awards (2016-2023) Best Poster & Demo Awards (2015-2020) Patents include systems for medical simulation , smart environment interruption management , and adaptive AR interfaces . His work bridges academic research and practical applications across VR, AR, and MR domains.
Dr. phil. Stefan Ladwig is a researcher at the Institute for Automotive Engineering (Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge) at RWTH Aachen University, specializing in traffic psychology, user acceptance, and human-machine interaction for automated driving systems. His work addresses psychological and ergonomic aspects of emerging mobility technologies, including seating ergonomics, trust-building mechanisms, and communication strategies for autonomous delivery robots. Research Focus: Automated driving, interior design psychology, driver/passenger behavior, and safety requirements. Projects: Lead roles in UrbANT (autonomous delivery robot) and SteeringBow (dynamic driving experience). Collaborations: Affiliated with Aldenhoven Testing Center, Future Mobility Partnership e.V., and innocam.NRW. Ladwig’s recent publications examine rotated seating positions, visual dominance in speed adaptation, and trust-relevant driving scenarios, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach to optimizing human-vehicle interactions. His work spans ergonomics, energy management, and behavioral interventions to enhance safety and usability in next-generation mobility solutions.
Prof. Torsten Wolfgang Kuhlen serves as a Universitätsprofessor at RWTH Aachen University, leading the Teaching and Research Area for Virtual Reality and Immersive Visualization within the Department of Computer Science. He is affiliated with Chair of Computer Science 12 (High Performance Computing), the Visual Computing Institute, and remains an integral part of the RWTH IT Center where his research group operates one of the world's largest Virtual Reality laboratories including the 30 sqm aixCAVE visualization chamber. The group maintains strong connections with Computational Science & Engineering Division, National High Performance Computing Center for Computational Engineering Science (NHR4CES), and VR in Science and Industry Network NRW e.V. Prof. Kuhlen's research spans virtual reality, immersive visualization, and multimodal 3D user interfaces with applications across simulation science, production technology, neuroscience, and medicine. His work combines basic research on advanced methods and algorithms with interdisciplinary collaborations involving RWTH Aachen institutes, Forschungszentrum Jülich, and industry partners. Recent publications demonstrate strong focus on audiovisual perception, immersive analytics, collaborative virtual environments, and practical VR applications in education and manufacturing. His research group has produced significant work on listening effort in virtual environments, immersive authoring techniques, and VR applications for scientific visualization. Notable projects include VRScenarioBuilder for automated vehicle testing and applications in monitoring additive manufacturing processes. The group actively participates in major conferences including IEEE VIS and EuroVis, with several award-winning contributions. Prof. Kuhlen has advised PhD students including Martin Bellgardt who recently completed his doctoral degree on "Increasing Immersion in Machine Learning Pipelines for Mechanical Engineering". The research group maintains state-of-the-art VR infrastructure including the aixCAVE facility which is open to all RWTH research groups.
Dr. rer. nat. Thomas Hermann is a faculty member at Bielefeld University's Faculty of Engineering, leading the Ambient Intelligence Group and coordinating the Computer Science program. He specializes in sonification, auditory data science, and smart environments. Head of Ambient Intelligence Working Group Computer Science Program Coordinator Member of multiple academic advisory boards His research focuses on interactive sonification for biomedical applications, quantum systems, and smart environments. Key projects include ECG sonification for cardiac diagnosis, real-time auditory feedback in swimming, and sonic interfaces for AR cooperation. Recent publications span 2025 with Python-based sonification tools ( pya AGen ), quantum system sonification, and ST-elevation myocardial infarction monitoring. He contributes to open-access supplementary materials and interdisciplinary workshops. As a researcher , Hermann develops practical sonification frameworks like Panson for facial behavior analysis, CardioScope for portable ECG monitoring, and Base Cube One for smart environments. His work bridges academic research with industry applications.
Ana Serrano is an Associate Professor at Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain, where she is affiliated with the Graphics & Imaging Lab in the EINA (Edificio Ada Byron) school. She earned her PhD at the same institution under the supervision of Prof. Diego Gutierrez and Prof. Belen Masia, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Max-Planck-Institute for Informatics under Prof. Karol Myszkowski. Her research focuses on visual computing , particularly in computational imaging , material appearance perception and editing , and virtual reality . She is especially interested in developing perceptually-driven methods that leverage knowledge of the human perceptual system to enhance user experiences and assist content creation in immersive environments. Her recent publications (2023–2025) span top-tier venues such as SIGGRAPH, CVPR, IEEE TVCG, and Eurographics. These works explore topics like saliency prediction in 3D and 360° video, crossmodal perception in VR, gloss modeling, radiance fields, and perceptual evaluation of immersive content. The research demonstrates a strong integration of machine learning, human perception, and computer graphics to solve real-world problems in visual computing. She has received several prestigious awards, including: Eurographics 2023 Young Researcher Award VGTC VR 2024 Significant New Researcher Award Eurographics 2020 PhD Award Adobe Research Fellowship (honorable mention, 2017) NVIDIA Graduate Fellowship (2018) Ana Serrano actively supervises PhD and Master’s students and has taught courses such as Virtual Reality, Computational Imaging, and Deep Learning applications. She serves as an Associate Editor for Computer Graphics Forum , ACM Transactions on Applied Perception , and Computers and Graphics , and has held leadership roles in major conferences including Eurographics (Tutorials co-chair, 2023), ACM SAP (Program co-chair, 2022), and CEIG (Program co-chair, 2022). Her professional service includes extensive program committee and reviewer roles for SIGGRAPH, IEEE VR, ISMAR, and others. She leads a vibrant research group focused on human perception in virtual environments, with current projects on computational models of attention and perception, integrated with physiological signals. Her lab, the Graphics & Imaging Lab, fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in visual computing.
Yepang Liu is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in Shenzhen, China. He leads the Software Quality Lab and serves as director of the Trustworthy Software Research Center within the Research Institute of Trustworthy Autonomous Systems. His educational background includes a B.Sc. with honors from Nanjing University (2010) and a Ph.D. from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2015), where he was supervised by Prof. Shing-Chi Cheung. Prior to joining SUSTech, he worked as a postdoc at HKUST's CASTLE Lab and Cybersecurity Lab. Liu's research primarily focuses on software testing and analysis, empirical software engineering, AI for SE, software security, and trustworthy AI. His work bridges traditional software engineering with cutting-edge AI technologies, particularly in automated testing, security analysis, and quality assurance for mobile, blockchain, and extended reality applications. Recent projects explore how large language models can enhance bug detection, improve testing automation, and address fairness issues in machine learning systems. His contributions have been recognized with three ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper awards (ICSE 2021, ASE 2016, ICSE 2014) and one Distinguished Artifact award (ICSE 2019). He has also received the ACM SIGSOFT Service Award and Distinguished Reviewer Award for his extensive service to the software engineering community. Top-10 Most Active Early-Stage Software Engineering Researcher (2013-2020) Top-10 Most Popular Instructor Among 2024 Undergraduate Graduates at SUSTech Junior Faculty of the Year (2021) SUSTech Teaching Excellence Award (2021) Outstanding Mentor Award (2020, 2024) Liu actively serves on the editorial boards of Empirical Software Engineering (EMSE) and Journal of Computer Science and Technology (JCST). He has participated in over 80 conference committees including leadership roles in ICSE, FSE, ASE, and ISSTA. His research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program, and leading Chinese IT companies. He regularly mentors PhD and MSc students and has guided multiple national competition award-winning teams. The Software Quality Lab under Liu's direction focuses on innovative approaches to software testing, security analysis, and quality assurance across various platforms including mobile, blockchain, and extended reality applications. Current projects emphasize the integration of AI techniques with traditional software engineering practices to address emerging challenges in software quality.
Prof. Dr. Harald Reiterer is a leading researcher in Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Konstanz, where he has served as Professor since 2009. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. (1991) and habilitation (1995) from the University of Vienna, followed by roles including Senior Researcher at Fraunhofer FIT and Associate Professor at Konstanz. He currently holds multiple leadership roles: Dean of the Faculty of Sciences , Senator of Section 1 , and Consulting Dean . Ph.D. in Computer Science (University of Vienna, 1991) Venia Legendi (Habilitation) in HCI (University of Vienna, 1995) His research focuses on: Interaction Design for mixed reality environments Information Visualization in immersive contexts Hybrid User Interfaces combining physical and virtual elements 3D Object Manipulation in handheld AR Behavioral Analytics through mHealth interventions Recent work explores: Avatar representation in Augmented Reality (2024) Node selection efficiency in Virtual Reality (2024) Peripheral vision toolkits for Head-Mounted Displays (2023) Hybrid interface optimization for Mixed Reality (2023) Smartphone AR extensions for Spatial Memory (2023) Key scientific contributions: Landeslehrpreis 2021 for interdisciplinary exhibition design Development of Colibri cross-reality toolkit (2023) Foundational work on Re-locations for remote collaboration (2022) He leads numerous projects including: SMARTACT (Smart Mobility, 2015-2023) SFB TRR 161 (2009-2027) on XR interface measurement Blended Library (2011-2015) for future library design
Prof. Dr. Bart Jan Ravoo is a Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Münster, Germany, where he leads the "Synthesis of Nanoscale Systems" research group. He is also co-director of the Center for Soft Nanoscience (SoN) and spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center (CRC 1459) "Intelligent Matter". His research focuses on creating novel nanoscale materials through supramolecular chemistry and molecular self-assembly. Prof. Ravoo received his PhD from the University of Groningen in 1998 and completed postdoctoral work at University College Dublin. He joined the University of Münster in 2007 as a professor, after serving as an assistant professor at the University of Twente. From 2012-2014, he served as Dean of the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy. His research spans three main areas: biomimetic supramolecular chemistry, surface functionalization by molecular self-organization, and responsive materials. Prof. Ravoo's group is particularly known for developing photoresponsive materials using arylazopyrazoles and cyclodextrin-based systems for applications ranging from drug delivery to smart adhesives. His work often bridges the gap between fundamental molecular design and practical applications in biomedicine and materials science. Prof. Ravoo's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on light-responsive materials, with particular emphasis on arylazopyrazole and arylazoisoxazole photoswitches. His research shows how molecular photoswitches can be integrated into various material systems including hydrogels, nanoparticles, and surface coatings to create materials with tunable properties that respond to specific wavelengths of light. This work has important implications for drug delivery, sensing, and adaptive materials. Recipient of the Schering-Plough Newman Scholarship in Organic Chemistry Member of the "Cells in Motion" research cluster Supervisor in the CiM-IMPRS Graduate Programme Prof. Ravoo has supervised over 40 PhD students and has been instrumental in establishing interdisciplinary research collaborations at the University of Münster. His group, consisting of approximately 25 researchers, is supported by multiple funding agencies including the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), European Union, and Volkswagen Foundation.
Prof. Dr. sc. techn. ETH Oliver Staadt is Full Professor of Computer Science and Chair of Visual Computing at the University of Rostock , Germany. Since 2023 he also serves as Director of the Institute for Visual and Analytic Computing within the Faculty of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering . Previously he was Dean (2016–2018) and Vice Dean (2010–2016) of the same faculty. Education Ph.D. in Computer Science, ETH Zürich (2001) M.Sc. in Computer Science, TU Darmstadt (1994) Research Interests Prof. Staadt’s research spans virtual and augmented reality , computer graphics , visualization , telepresence , immersive analytics , and human–computer interaction . A particular focus lies on real-time rendering and display technologies for large high-resolution display systems, depth-image enhancement for RGB-D sensors, and interaction techniques that leverage spatial cognition and eye-tracking. His work is frequently applied to collaborative settings and microgravity environments, including experiments aboard parabolic flights and the International Space Station. Recent Publication Trends Between 2019 and 2021 his output centers on foveated rendering , AR viewpoint guidance , collaborative analytics on wall-sized displays , and embodied interaction metaphors . Earlier work addressed bandwidth-efficient telepresence, depth-image filtering, and physically-based animation. The corpus reveals a steady evolution from fundamental graphics algorithms toward applied immersive systems. Scientific Awards & Honors Fellow of the Eurographics Association Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (past) Associate Editor, Computers & Graphics (past) Associate Editor, Computer Animation and Virtual Worlds (past) Associate Editor, Frontiers in Virtual Reality (current) Chair, Expert Group on Virtual & Augmented Reality, German Informatics Society (2013–2020) Advising & Funding He has successfully supervised more than ten PhD graduates whose dissertations range from collision detection and physically-based animation to 3D interaction in microgravity and predictive user modeling. Current PhD researchers include Bipul Mohanto, Mana Takhsha, and Sven Kluge. His projects are supported by national and EU programs such as EVOCATION, SMOOTH, ARGuide, 3DPick, DIVA, and Telepresence. Labs & Teams Prof. Staadt leads the Visual Computing Group at Rostock, operating state-of-the-art facilities including large tiled display walls, VR/AR laboratories, and motion-capture systems. The institute hosts interdisciplinary collaborations with partners in visualization, computer vision, psychology, and aerospace engineering.
Dr. Michael Otto is affiliated with the University of Ulm, Department of Computer Science, within the Faculty of Engineering. His research focuses on virtual technologies for production planning, immersive virtual assembly assessments, and markerless motion capture systems. He has contributed to projects like ARVIDA (Cost-efficient motion capture systems) and INTERACT (Human-centered workplaces). His work bridges computer science, manufacturing systems, and human factors. Key contributions include developing frameworks for motion capture, virtual reality benchmarking, and augmented reality applications in industrial contexts. Notable achievements include receiving the Best Industrial Paper award (2015) for his work on ubiquitous tracking using depth cameras. His research addresses challenges in assembly planning, ergonomic assessments, and spatial interaction in manufacturing environments. Education/Background: Former External PhD Candidate at University of Ulm. Research Interests: Dr. Otto’s work emphasizes practical applications of virtual and augmented reality in manufacturing. He explores how technologies like markerless motion capture and immersive environments can optimize assembly processes, enhance worker ergonomics, and improve production verification workflows. His projects often involve interdisciplinary collaboration with industry partners. Articles Overview: His publications (2014–2025) span topics such as augmented reality visualization, motion tracking algorithms, and VR-based simulation tools. These contributions highlight advancements in scalable systems, sensor fusion, and human-motion analysis within industrial contexts.
Prof. Laura Na Liu is a Professor and Director at the 2nd Physics Institute, University of Stuttgart, with a dual affiliation at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research. Her research bridges nanophotonics, DNA nanotechnology, and plasmonics, focusing on dynamic systems for biomedical applications, optical metamaterials, and synthetic biology. Key contributions include DNA-templated plasmonic architectures, reconfigurable metasurfaces, and synthetic cell components using DNA nanotechnology. Academic training includes advanced work in physics and materials science, with a career spanning leading institutions. Research interests emphasize the interplay between nanoscale structures and optical/chemical functionalities. Recent publications highlight innovations in programmable nanomaterials, real-time molecular tracking, and high-performance holography systems. Her work integrates experimental and theoretical approaches, addressing challenges in biophotonics, nanoelectronics, and smart materials. Awards and recognitions are listed in institutional records, while her lab actively collaborates with industry on applied photonics solutions.
Yi-Chi Liao is a postdoc researcher at ETH Zürich under the SIP Lab, funded by the ETH Zürich Postdoc Fellowship Programme. He holds a PhD from Aalto University (supervised by Prof. Antti Oulasvirta) and Master's/Bachelor's degrees from National Taiwan University. His research focuses on computational interaction, human-in-the-loop optimization, and biomechanical simulation. He has contributed to over 14 top-tier publications in venues like CHI, UIST, and TiiS. Education: PhD in Computer Science, Aalto University (Finland) Master's in Computer Science, National Taiwan University Bachelor's in Computer Science, National Taiwan University Research Interests: Advances in HILO frameworks for adaptive systems, human-AI co-design, and biomechanical motion simulation. His work integrates reinforcement learning, Bayesian optimization, and computational modeling to enhance interactive systems. Publications: Over 14 papers in top HCI venues, emphasizing optimization techniques, tactile interfaces, and 3D interaction. Recent work includes meta-Bayesian optimization for wrist-based interactions and real-time target inference via biomechanical simulation. Awards: CHI 2022 Honorable Mention, multiple outstanding review recognitions, and the ETH Postdoc Fellowship. He serves on program committees for CHI, UIST, and TEI. Teaching: Delivered lectures on Bayesian statistics, deep learning, and computational design at Aalto and NTU. Served as a teaching assistant for HCI and computer architecture courses. Labs: Active in the Human-Computer Interaction Lab (Saarland University), SIP Lab (ETH Zürich), and collaborations with Meta Reality Labs.
