About Michael Gleicher (Bio)

September, 2019 (Last Modified: August, 2023)

(or look at my C.V.)

One paragraph standard professional bio

One paragraph profession bio - 2023

Michael Gleicher is a Professor in the Department of Computer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests span the range of visual computing, including data visualization, robotics, and virtual reality. Current projects focus on semi-autonomous robotic systems and presentation of complex data. Prof. Gleicher is founder of the Department’s Visual Computing Group and co-directs both the Visual Computing Laboratory and the Collaborative Robotics Laboratory at UW-Madison. His work explores challenges in creating systems that work well for people. His work has been supported by NSF, NASA, Los Alamos National Laboratories, DARPA, NIH, Mellon Foundation, and others. His work has received numerous awards in conferences including IEEE Visualization and IEEE/ACM Human-Robot Interaction. He has been Papers chair for EuroVis and Area Chair for IEEE Vis. Prior to joining the University, Prof. Gleicher was a researcher at The Autodesk Vision Technology Center and in Apple Computer’s Advanced Technology Group. He earned his Ph. D. in Computer Science (1994) from Carnegie Mellon University, and holds a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering from Duke University (1988). In 2013-2014, he was a visiting researcher at INRIA Rhone-Alpes. Prof. Gleicher is an ACM Distinguished Scientist.

(Circa 2019 - extended)

Michael Gleicher is a Professor in the Department of Computer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Prof. Gleicher is founder of the Department’s Visual Computing Group. He co-directs both the Visual Computing Laboratory and the Collaborative Robotics Laboratory at UW-Madison. His research interests span the range of visual computing, including data visualization, robotics, and virtual reality. He is an expert at developing novel methods for addressing challenges in helping people interact with complex systems. His work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, National Instututes of Health, Mellon Foundation, DARPA, and others. Prof. Gleicher was a researcher at The Autodesk Vision Technology Center and in Apple Computer’s Advanced Technology Group. He earned his Ph. D. in Computer Science (1994) from Carnegie Mellon University, and holds a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering from Duke University (1988). In 2013-2014, he was a visiting researcher at INRIA Rhone-Alpes. Prof. Gleicher is an ACM Distinguished Scientist.

(Circa 2019)

Michael Gleicher is a Professor in the Department of Computer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Prof. Gleicher is founder of the Department’s Visual Computing Group. He co-directs both the Visual Computing Laboratory and the Collaborative Robotics Laboratory at UW-Madison. His research interests span the range of visual computing, including data visualization, robotics, and virtual reality. Prior to joining the University, Prof. Gleicher was a researcher at The Autodesk Vision Technology Center and in Apple Computer’s Advanced Technology Group. He earned his Ph. D. in Computer Science (1994) from Carnegie Mellon University, and holds a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering from Duke University (1988). In 2013-2014, he was a visiting researcher at INRIA Rhone-Alpes. Prof. Gleicher is an ACM Distinguished Scientist.

(Circa 2016)

Michael Gleicher is a Professor in the Department of Computer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Prof. Gleicher is founder of the Department’s Visual Computing Group. His research interests span the range of visual computing, including data visualization, robotics, image and video processing tools, virtual reality, and character animation. His current foci are human data interaction and human robot interaction. Prior to joining the university, Prof. Gleicher was a researcher at The Autodesk Vision Technology Center and in Apple Computer’s Advanced Technology Group. He earned his Ph. D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University, and holds a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering from Duke University. In 2013-2014, he was a visiting researcher at INRIA Rhone-Alpes. Prof. Gleicher is an ACM Distinguished Scientist.

(Old version Circa 2010)

Michael Gleicher is a Professor in the Department of Computer Sciencesat the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Prof. Gleicher is founderand leader of the Department’s Computer Graphics group. His researchgenerally revolves around the question: “How can we use ourunderstanding of human perception and artistic traditions to improveour tools for communicating and data understanding.” He has beenexploring this question in four areas: visualization (creating toolsto help people make sense of complex data sets); creating better toolsfor the creation of images and video; creating better characteranimation technologies for films and games; and computationalstructural biology. Prof. Gleicher is an ACM Distinguished Scientist.

Prior to joining the university, Prof. Gleicher was a researcher atThe Autodesk Vision Technology Center and at Apple Computer’s AdvancedTechnology Group. He earned his Ph. D. in Computer Science fromCarnegie Mellon University, and holds a B.S.E. in ElectricalEngineering from Duke University.

(older version, approximately 2009)

Michael Gleicher is a Professor in the Department of Computer Sciencesat the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Prof. Gleicher is founder andleader of the Department’s Computer Graphics group. The overall goalof his research is to create tools that make it easier to createpictures, video, animation, and virtual environments; and to makethese visual artifacts more interesting, entertaining, andinformative. He seeks to build and apply an understanding of human perception, artistic traditions, numerical computation, and geometry.His current focus is on tools for character animation,for the automated production of multimedia, and visualization andgeometric analysis for biological applications, particularlystructural bioinformatics.

More illustrated version

In 2020, I rebuilt this web page using Hugo rather than the circa 200X Wiki. I am not sure if the content is any better.

In 2017 we adopted Ozzie. 50 years, no dog. Then poof, dog. Everything changes.

In 2009, I was promoted to Professor. I also finally redid this page after 10 years, but I just copied old stuff.

In 2004, I was promoted to Associate Professor (i.e. tenured). I also married Julie Loehrl. Our son Sam was born in April of 2005.

In August of 1998, I joined the faculty of the Computer Science Department at the University of Wisconsin Madison as an Assistant Professor. My mission is to start a computer graphics group. As of last check, I am succeeding.

From June of 1997 to July of 1998 I was a “research scientist” in Autodesk’s now defunct Vision Technology Center. I did not work on any Autodesk products, but I did research on video tracking, motion capture and editing techniques.

From August of 1994 through March of 1997 I was a research scientist in the graphics group of Apple Computer’s research laboratories (which was usually called the Advanced Technology Group, but they kept changing the name). I worked on a variety of research projects involving computer animation, computer vision, and user interfaces.

I was a graduate student in the Computer Science Department of Carnegie Mellon University from August 1988 through August 1994. While I was there, I earned a PhD and an MS. My thesis, “A Differential Approach to Graphical Interaction” was supervised by Andy Witkin.

I was an undergraduate at Duke University, and recieved a BSE in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. I didn’t do any computer graphics while I was there.

I lived in Springfield, NJ until I went to college. My parents still live there. My dad’s company is Gleicher Manufacturing.

(yes, the picture to the left is me)

Some personal info

I generally like things involving mountains, music, and food. I like to downhill ski, play guitar and bass, and cook.