Cindy Kao

Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao (; pinyin: Gāo Xīnlǜ) is a Taiwanese-American professor, computer science researcher and interdisciplinary designer based at Cornell University focusing on human-centered design, computer science, and wearable technologies. She is the founder and director of Cornell University's Hybrid Body Lab, a transdisciplinary research laboratory focusing on integrating cultural and social perspectives into the design of on-body interfaces. Kao and her lab have also won numerous Best Paper Honors from the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM). Her work has been mentioned in Forbes, CNN, TIME, and WIRED.

Education In 2011, Kao attended the National Taiwan University and received a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.B.A. in Technology Management. In 2013, Kao continued her education at the National Taiwan University and graduated with a M.S. in Computer Science. In 2018, Kao attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), earning a Ph.D. in Media Arts and Sciences from the MIT Media Lab.

Career After publishing her research about NailO – a technology focused on using the fingernail as a site for wearable technology – at the MIT Media Lab, Kao became an intern at Microsoft Research in the summer of 2015. That summer, Kao initiated and lead a project focused on the creation of tattoo antennas with the capability of being read by NFC tag readers within smartphones. Kao continued this tattoo antenna project at the MIT Media Lab in the fall of 2015 where she was a PhD researcher, and in 2016 expanding it into a novel fabrication approach for creating a jewelry-like interactive temporary tattoo called DuoSkin. DuoSkin received viral media attention and numerous accolades due to its unique convergence of emerging on-skin technology, fashion, and human-centered design. DuoSkin expanded public interest in the potential of smart tattoos. Forbes described DuoSkin as: "This tattoo is temporary, but it’s permanently changed people’s impressions of wearable tech." Her goal is to create designs for next generation wearable technology that may reflect (instead of constrict) the uniqueness of individual identities. The goal of the AiR is to invite on-body artists, such as tattoo, makeup, hair and nail artists, to collaborate and leverage the on-body technology developed by the Hybrid Body Lab into their artistic practices. The goal is to enable perspectives beyond STEM for the development of next generation wearable technology.

Kao was awarded the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2021 for her project focusing on the advancement of on-skin interfaces, such as smart tattoos and bandages.

In 2017, Kao's work were recognized as a finalist for the Fast Company's Innovation by Design Award. Kao received a nomination for the Ars Electronica STARTS Prize. She was also awarded the SXSW Interactive Innovation Award for her research technologies. ACM UbiComp, ACM UIST, and ACM DIS.

Kao was awarded the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2021 for her project on "On-Skin Interface Prototyping Toolkits: Democratizing Next Generation Wearable Computing." In 2019, Kao's work was displayed at the Pompidou Centre in Paris. That same year, the Seattle Museum of Pop Culture exhibited Kao's work in its "A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes" exhibition, organized by Barrett Barrera Projects and curated by MUSEEA. In 2020, Kao's contributions were showcased at a joint exhibition titled "human (un)limited" in Beijing that was hosted by hosted by Hyundai Motorstudio and Ars Electronica.