Ravin Balakrishnan

Professor Ravin Balakrishnan is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto and a senior member of the Dynamic Graphics Project (DGP). His research spans Human–Computer Interaction (HCI), Interactive Computer Graphics, and Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD), with a focus on designing and evaluating interactive systems that tightly integrate human skills, perception, and computation. Professor Balakrishnan has made foundational contributions to interaction techniques, telepresence systems, interactive robotics, and visualization, with extensive publications in top-tier venues such as CHI, UIST, and Graphics Interface. He has received numerous prestigious honors, including an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, a Canada Research Chair, an Ontario Premier’s Research Excellence Award, and induction into the ACM CHI Academy. He served as Chair of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto from 2015 to 2019. In addition to academic research, Professor Balakrishnan has extensive experience collaborating with industry research labs worldwide and has co-founded multiple companies commercializing research outcomes from his lab, including Bump Technologies (acquired by Google). His work exemplifies the translation of HCI research into real-world impact across industry, education, and society.