The Speakers

David Hsu

David Hsu is a Provost’s Chair Professor in the Department of Computer Science, the founding director of NUS Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (NUSAIL), and the director of Smart Systems Institute. He received a BSc in computer science & mathematics from the University of British Columbia, Canada and PhD in computer science from Stanford University, USA. He is an IEEE Fellow.

His research spans robotics, AI, and computational biology. In recent years, he has been working on robot planning and learning under uncertainty and human-robot collaboration. He has chaired and co-chaired several major international robotics conferences, including the International Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundation of Robotics (WAFR) 2004 and 2010, Robotics: Science & Systems 2015, IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation (ICRA) 2016, and Conference on Robot Learning (CoRL) 2021. He was an associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Robotics. He is currently serving on the editorial board of the Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research and the RSS Foundation Board.

More information about Dr. David, Smart Systems Institute, and the AdaComp lab can be found at https://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~dyhsu/ , https://ssi.nus.edu.sg and https://adacomp.comp.nus.edu.sg.

Zhao Shengdong

Shengdong Zhao is a full professor in the School of Creative Media and Computer Science Department at the City University of Hong Kong (CityU). Previously, he held the position of Associate Professor in the Computer Science Department of the National University of Singapore (NUS). He established the Synteraction (formerly NUS-HCI) research lab. Dr. Zhao completes his Ph.D. degree in Computer Science at the University of Toronto. He also holds a Master’s degree in Information Management & Systems from the University of California at Berkeley. He has a wealth of experience in developing new interface tools and applications (i.e., Draco won best iPad App of the year in 2016) and publishes regularly in top HCI conferences and journals. He also works closely with the industry and has served as a senior consultant with the Huawei Consumer Business Group. Dr. Zhao frequently serves on program committees of top HCI conferences and worked as the paper chair for the ACM SIGCHI 2019 and 2020 conferences.

More information about Dr. Zhao and the Synteraction lab can be found at http://www.shengdongzhao.com and https://synteraction.org.

Suranga Nanayakkara

Suranga Nanayakkara is an associate professor in the Department of Information Systems & Analytics at the School of Computing, National University of Singapore (NUS), and an Honorary Professor at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI) at the University of Auckland (UoA). Before joining NUS, Dr. Suranga served as an Associate Professor at ABI, UoA, where he was appointed under the strategic entrepreneurial universities scheme. His previous roles include Assistant Professor at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Postdoctoral Associate at the Fluid Interfaces group at MIT Media Lab.

Dr. Suranga received his Ph.D. in 2010 and B.Eng. in 2005 from NUS. In 2011, he founded the “Augmented Human Lab” to pioneer research in intelligent human-computer interfaces that enhance human perceptual and cognitive abilities. Recognized for his impactful work, he has received numerous prestigious awards, including the MIT TechReview’s TR35 Young Inventor under 35 award for the Asia Pacific region, the Outstanding Young Persons of Sri Lanka (TOYP) award, and the 2016 INK Fellowship.

More information about Dr. Suranga and the AH lab can be found at https://suranga.info and https://ahlab.org.

Bimlesh Wadhwa

Dr. Bimlesh Wadhwa is an Associate Professor at NUS Computing. She is a passionate educator with extensive experience in teaching and advancing knowledge in the fields of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Software Engineering, and Computational Thinking. With a strong commitment to academic excellence, Dr Bimlesh has guided numerous undergraduate and master’s students through impactful thesis projects, fostering innovation and critical thinking. An active contributor to the academic community, Dr Bimlesh regularly publishes research at leading international conferences and serves as a trusted reviewer for several top-tier venues, including CHI, SIGCSE, APSEC, and CTE-STEM, ensuring the dissemination of high-quality, cutting-edge work. Her dedication to education and research continues to inspire the next generation of professionals in technology and design.

More information about Dr. Wadhwa is available at https://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/cs/people/bimlesh.

Nuwan Janaka

Nuwan Janaka is a research fellow at the Smart Systems Institute, National University of Singapore, where he works with Prof. David Hsu on developing platforms for wearable intelligent assistants. His research interests lie broadly in human-computer interaction, specifically in heads-up computing, human-AI collaboration, and information presentation on Augmented Reality smart glasses. He is also a member of the Synteraction Lab under the guidance of Prof. Shendong Zhao, his former PhD advisor.

More information about Dr. Nuwan can be found at https://nuwanjanaka.info.

Jane E

Jane E is an incoming Assistant Professor at NUS Computing. She is a postdoc at Stanford HAI, mentored by her PhD advisor, James Landay, and starting as an Adjunct Professor at NUS as an affiliate with the Smart Systems Institute. Her research lies primarily at the intersection of human-computer interaction, computer graphics, and AI. Broadly, she is interested in thinking about how to design computational tools that can support users in developing domain expertise, which she currently explores within the domain of creativity. Her work takes inspiration from cognitive science and education theory to design computational tools that scaffold novices’ creative processes. Inspired by how expert artists have trained their eyes to “see” in a certain way, she aims to design guidance that helps novices develop their own “artistic vision”—and, in doing so, support them in developing their own artistic expertise.

More information about Dr. Jane is available at https://ejane.me .

Gabriel Lipkowitz

Gabriel Lipkowitz is an Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator of the Interactive 3D Design Lab in the Division of Industrial Design at the National University of Singapore. Gabriel received his PhD from Stanford University specializing in interactive 3D design and technology. His research interests include spatial computing design, generative 3D design, and 3D UI/UX design, aiming to develop computational tools and systems that translate innovative design concepts into impactful interactive 3D experiences for users. Born in New York, Gabriel received an MSc in Computational Science and Engineering from Imperial College London and an AB from Princeton University. The Interactive 3D Design Lab is actively recruiting undergraduate, Master's, and PhD students; please reach out to Gabriel if interested in research opportunities.

More information about Dr. Gabriel can be found at https://gabriel-lipkowitz.com .

Samantha Chan

Samantha Chan is an Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore, College of Computing and Data Science, and a Research Affiliate at the MIT Media Lab. Samantha is interested in crafting technologies that enhance human cognition and advance human potential. Her research spans Human-Computer Interactions (HCI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), developing systems to support aspects such as memory, sleep, attention, and healthy aging. This includes pioneering work in wearables, physiological sensing, brain-computer interfaces, and extended reality (XR) applications. Dr. Chan was a Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT Media Lab, Fluid Interfaces Group. She received a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Auckland, New Zealand and a B.Eng from Singapore University of Technology and Design. She was formerly from the Augmented Human Lab, a Visiting Researcher at Synteraction (NUS-HCI) Lab, and Junior Researcher at Mercari R4D.

Her new HCI research group at NTU is recruiting PhD students, Postdocs, and other researchers. More information about Samantha and how to join her group is available at samanthachan.net

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