UCLA Electrical and Computer Engineer Receives Google Research Scholar Program Award

Xiang “Anthony” Chen, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, has received a Google Research Scholar Program Award for his research in human-computer interaction.

The award, which supports world-class research conducted by early-career professors, includes a prize of up to $60,000 to support Chen’s research on extracting human knowledge to augment  artificial intelligence training. 

A leader of UCLA’s Human Computer Interaction Research team, Chen focuses on building interactive intelligent systems so that humans can more easily share information. He aims to train AI systems to learn high-level knowledge through the observation of human experts performing various tasks, such as examining tissue slides for evidence of tumors. Instead of providing the AI with slides that are labeled “tumor” or “no tumor” in the way that much current machine learning is done, Chen’s research will allow the AI to track how an experienced pathologist reviews biopsy slides and relay details, including their eye movements and how they pan or zoom into the slide. The AI can then analyze slides with its own highly trained “eye.”

Chen has received multiple awards for researchers early in their careers. He is also the recipient of a 2021 National Science Foundation CAREER Award, a 2021 Office of Naval Research’s Young Investigator Award and a 2020 Hellman Fellowship.

Natalie Weber contributed to this story.