Information for Prospective Students

I am always looking for hard-working, self-motivated, and scientifically curious students to join my research group. Broadly, my students work on novel input and interaction techniques for various form factors and populations. Potential research topics include, but not limited to:

• Text entry, editing, and error correction,
• Virtual and augmented reality,
• Interactive surfaces like tabletops, walls, and floors,
• Accessible technologies,
• Wearable technologies, like watches, gloves, etc.
• Interaction techniques for robots and drones,
• Brain-computer interface,
• Applied machine learning, and
• Animal-computer interaction.

PhD positions are fully funded. MS positions are self-funded, but it is possible to secure support through various means upon joining the university. Visit Graduate Student Financial Support for further details.

PhD Admission Lab Requirements

1. Mandatory. A BS degree in Computer Science, Interaction Design, or Digital Media,
2. Mandatory. Strong skills in programming,
3. Mandatory. The ability to work individually or in a team, and
4. Mandatory. Excellent English language skills.
5. Preferred. An MS degree in Computer Science, Interaction Design, or Digital Media,
6. Preferred. Skills in interaction design and quantitative research methods,
7. Preferred. Publications or other writing samples.

Mandatory Requirements by the Graduate Division and EECS

1. A BS degree with a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B),
2. GRE General Test (mandatory for MS, highly recommended for PhD),
3. TOEFL or IELTS test,
4. Three letters of recommendation,
5. Statement of purpose,
6. Personal history and achievement/contributions,
7. A complete application by the deadline.

About UC Merced & the School of Engineering —The University of California is creating a dynamic new university campus and campus community in Merced, California, which opened in September 2005 as university built in the 21st century. In keeping with the mission of the University to provide teaching, research and public service of the highest quality, UC Merced the tenth campus of the University of California and the first American research will be providing new educational opportunities at the undergraduate, masters and doctoral levels through three academic schools Engineering; Natural Sciences; and, Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts.

The School of Engineering is proud of its faculty’s accomplishments and our rapid growth. Over the past five years, undergraduate and graduate enrollments have grown by 65%. The School currently has 49 faculty members, 1,400 undergraduates, and over 140 graduate students. The campus opened a new Science and Engineering Building in 2014 and undertook a massive building program in 2017 that that will more than double the campus building areas by 2020.

Graduate Studies in EECS—Graduate studies in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS) offers individualized, strongly research-oriented courses of study. The EECS graduate emphasis area is organized to allow students to pursue cutting-edge research in modern fields of electrical engineering and computer science, emphasizing research and preparing students for leadership positions in industrial labs, government, or academia. Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees with emphases in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science are offered. The EECS graduate emphasis area is highly cross-disciplinary with connections to faculty from all three schools at UC Merced. In particular, strong collaborations with the graduate programs in environmental engineering and cognitive sciences are possible.