Professor Daniel Vogel has received a 2018 Outstanding Young Computer Science Researcher Award from CS-Can/Info-Can. Conferred annually since 2009, these prestigious national awards recognize excellence in research and are conferred to top young faculty members in Canadian computer science departments, schools and faculties who are within the first ten years of their career beyond completion of their PhD.
“On behalf of CS-Can/Info-Can, it is our great pleasure to inform you that you have been awarded a 2018 CS-Can/Info-Can Outstanding Young Computer Science Researcher Prize in Computer Science,” wrote Hausi Muller and Carey Williamson, co-chairs of the 2018 CS-Can/Info-Can Awards Committee in their letter. “Congratulations on this tremendous recognition by your Canadian computer science peers.”
“Congratulations to Dan on this impressive career milestone,” said Mark Giesbrecht, Director of the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science. “He has made countless contributions to human-computer interaction research at the Cheriton School, in particular his pioneering work that blends computation with art to create interactive, immersive and pleasing digital environments.”
The 2018 awards will be presented at the annual CS-Can/Info-Can Awards Dinner, which will be held on June 3, 2019 at McGill University as part of society’s annual meeting.
Professor Vogel is the seventh faculty member at the Cheriton School of Computer Science to receive an Outstanding Young Computer Science Researcher Award from CS-Can/Info-Can, following Professor Lap Chi Lau (2016 recipient), Professor Kate Larson (2015 recipient), Professor Ondřej Lhoták (2012 recipient), Professor Ian Goldberg (2010 recipient), Professor Bin Ma (2009 recipient) and Professor Eric Schost (2009 recipient).
About Professor Daniel Vogel
Professor Daniel Vogel’s research in human-computer interaction explores fundamental characteristics of human performance and novel interaction techniques for diverse computing form factors. His work has enhanced user interactions with large displays and increased the nuance with which users can express their intentions with various computational artifacts.
A diverse background that spans computer science and fine arts is an important contributor to Professor Vogel’s success. It is broadly recognized that multidisciplinary perspectives enhance diversity and creativity, frequently leading to better solutions. Professor Vogel’s fine arts background inspires and enhances his research in human-computer interaction, giving him perspectives that few are capable of even imagining.
His research has had substantial impact, both in terms of traditional academic indicators as well as through real-world impact. Many of his papers are considered seminal, and one is credited with inspiring an entire sub-area in human-computer interaction, under the banner of proxemic interaction. Multiple publications have received best paper awards. He has received many other prestigious awards and prizes, including the Bill Buxton Dissertation Award, Ontario Early Researcher Award, Google Faculty Research Award, NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement, and Golden Jubilee Research Excellence Award, to name just a few. Additional evidence for Professor Vogel’s research excellence comes from the substantial research funding (totaling over $2.3 million) he has attracted over his still young career. Highlights include funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund for Large Infrastructure.
Beyond the Ivory Tower, Professor Vogel collaborates intensively with industry and his work has fed into several products that are widely adopted today. His “Myopoint” interaction technique has been incorporated into Thalmic Lab’s Myo EMG armband, a product that has more than 50,000 users. His “Shift” interaction technique is the likely inspiration behind the “bubble” approach that allows users to fine-tune text selection on mobile devices. Few academics can claim to have invented a feature that is deployed on billions of devices around the world.
Professor Vogel’s research on Fully Interactive Physio-Digital Spaces promises to be ground breaking, by enabling streamlined and seamless interactions with common objects found in physical environments. This project plays precisely to Professor Vogel’s strength at the intersection of art and computer science.
