Pedro Lopes is an Associate Professor in Computer Science at the University of Chicago, where he runs the Human-Computer Integration Lab. Pedro is also a faculty member in the Neuroscience Institute.
Research
Focus Areas: Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Augmented + Reality (AR/VR), Wearable Computing, Haptics, Neuroscience, Ecological Computing, Robotics
Pedro focuses on integrating interfaces with the human body—exploring the interface paradigm that supersedes wearables. These include: muscle stimulation wearables that allow users to manipulate tools they have never seen before or that accelerate reaction time, or a device that leverages the smell to create an illusion of temperature. Pedro also engineers new interactive systems that can provide users with physical assistance (via haptics, such as muscle/brain stimulation or robotic exoskeletons). Finally, Pedro also explores how computer interfaces can assist and promote attitude change in societal challenges, such as reducing electronic waste by engineering new forms of computationally-driven recycling. You can see all Pedro’s work at lab.plopes.org. Pedro’s work has received several academic awards, such as seven CHI/UIST Best Papers, Sloan Fellowship, NSF CAREER, IEEE VR Significant New Researcher Award, and captured the interest of the public (e.g., New York Times, exhibited at Ars Electronica, etc.; more: https://lab.plopes.org).
Mentoring
A key part of Pedro’s mission is mentoring students in their career: Former PhD students went directly to faculty positions (e.g., Jas Brooks at MIT, Shan-Yuan Teng at NTU), or positions in HCI industry (e.g., Alex Mazursky at Apple); Postdocs went off to become faculty members (e.g., Jun Nishida at Maryland); Master’s/Predoc students went off to PhD positions (e.g., Yujie Tao at Stanford) and HCI industry (e.g., Zoe Liu at Apple); Interns went off to pursue PhDs in HCI (e.g, Arata Jingu at University of Särbrucken); finally, highschool interns went off to pursue undergrduate degrees in computer science (e.g., Archit Tamhane at Harvard, Siya Choudhary at UIUC).
Application: submit your interest here to apply for Pedro’s lab (any level, e.g., Postdoc, PhD, Master/Predoc, Undergraduate, Intern/Highschool, Visiting students)
Courses taught by Pedro:
- Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction (CMSC 20300, where you build software interfaces)
- Inventing and Engineering Interactive Devices (CMSC 23220, where you build hands-on hardware)
- Engineering Interactive Electronics onto Printed Circuit Boards (CMSC 23230/33230, where you design and manufacture your advanced circuits)
See detailed course descriptions and which courses are currently active here.
