UCLA Electrical Engineer Receives Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award for AI Research

Xiang “Anthony” Chen, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, has received a three-year, $510,000 grant from the Office of Naval Research.

The highly competitive award will support Chen’s research on extracting domain-specific knowledge through human interaction with artificial intelligence. Chen is among the 39 researchers honored in the U.S. Navy’s 2021 award cohort. The awards are designed to support reasonable costs related to conducting the proposed research.

Chen has received several other awards for early career faculty, including a Hellman Fellowship and the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award, which supports his research enabling physicians to use AI when analyzing medical images.

At UCLA, Chen leads HCI Research, which specializes in human-computer interaction with an emphasis on AI solutions. The research group focuses on designing intelligent user interfaces, new sensing and interaction techniques, as well as computational platforms that extend beyond a screen and keyboard.

As an executive branch agency within the Department of Defense, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) supports the President’s budget. ONR provides technical advice to the Chief of Naval Operations and the Secretary of the Navy.