Cheng Zhang (张铖)| SciFi Lab| Cornell

Cheng Zhang is an Associate Professor (with Tenure) in Information Science and Computer Science (Field Member) at Cornell University, where he directs the Smart Computer Interfaces for Future Interaction (SciFi) Lab. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science at Ubicomp Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he was advised by Dr. Gregory Abowd (CS) and Dr.Omer Inan(ECE).

His research focuses on integrating human-centered AI with advanced sensing technologies to empower everyday wearables in comprehending human behavior in real-world environments, with the goal of better supporting users. This work involves: (1) Creating low-power, minimally intrusive, and privacy-conscious everyday wearables that significantly lower the barrier to collecting high-quality human behavior data in natural settings; (2) Designing AI-powered sensing algorithms and systems that prioritize a human-centered understanding of behavior in everyday contexts; and (3) Advancing high-impact applications in areas like accessibility and health to better support users in their daily lives.

His research has already had tangible real-world impact. His early work on BeyondTouch and BackTap was the first to demonstrate how tapping gestures on the phone can be recognized on off-the-shelf smartphones as input without additional hardware. Variants of this interaction are now available on millions of smartphones, including Apple’s Back Tap feature introduced in iOS 14 and later. In addition, another part of his prior research was licensed in 2016 to establish a Canadian startup ContextualHCI, based in Montreal, translating his academic innovations into practical technologies.

His work has been recognized with awards, including the NSF CAREER Award, Ubicomp 10-year Impact Award as well as several Best Paper Awards and Honorable Mentions. His research is regularly featured by global media outlets including BBC, Forbes, Engadget, Fast Company, CNET, Gizmodo, New Scientist, the Verge, Digtal Trends, Popular Science, Designboom, and Mashable.

Recent Professional Activities:
Steering Committee (Co-)Chair: ACM International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC) (24-now)
Steering Committee: ACM international joint conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing(Ubicomp) (24-now)
Technical Program Committee (Co-)Chair: ISWC’23, Ubicomp’24
Associate Chair/ Associate Editor: IMWUT(19-now), CHI(20,23,24,25)