Openings: motivated students interested in qualitative and quantitative data analysis, graphic design, web/mobile app/smart contract development, and professional writing. Please send resume to Prof. Yun Huang. and Prof. Yang Wang.

About

The SALT (Social Computing Systems) lab focuses on systems research in social computing. We seek deep understandings of how people interact with sociotechnical computing systems. We develop original designs that either enable new forms of user/social interaction or impact existing user/social interaction. We propose, develop and evaluate novel infrastructure solutions for a variety of social computing applications. Example projects include mobile crowdsourcing systems for public safety, systems for protecting people's privacy in social media, designs for enabling new forms of interactions between librarians and patrons, and mechanisms for making authentication more accessible for people with disabilities. Currently, our research is funded by NSF, Department of Health and Human Services, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Google, Meta, and OpenAI.

News


Grants

(2023- 2024) OpenAI Research Award on Democratic Design-Making: “Inclusive.AI: A ChatGPT Plugin and DAO to Engage Marginalized Groups in AI”, total $110,000. PIs: Yang Wang and Yun Huang.

(08/22-07/25) Institute of Museum and Library Services Early CAREER Research Development Award: “Empowering Libraries with Conversational AI”, total $399,996. Single PI: Yun Huang.

(09/2021-09/2024) NSF: Advancing STEM Online Learning by Augmenting Accessibility with Explanatory Captions and AI, total $849,990, Lead PI, Yun Huang. Co-PIs: Lawrence Angrave (UIUC), Meng Jiang (Notre Dame), Qi Wang (Gallaudet University).

(10/2021-09/2025) NSF SaTC Medium: Novel Algorithms and Tools for Empowering People Who Are Blind to Safeguard Private Visual Content, total ~$1.1M, UIUC $315,931, PI, Yang Wang. Lead PI Danna Gurari (Univ. of Colorado Boulder), PI Leah Findlater (Univ. of Washington).

(07/2021-06/2023) NSF SaTC-Edu: Teaching High School Students about Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence Ethics via Empathy-Driven Hands-On Projects, total ~$300K, UIUC $154,754, PI Yang Wang. Co-PIs: Yun Huang (UIUC), Pilyoung Kim (Univ. of Denver), and Tom Yeh (Univ. of Colorado Boulder).

(07/2018-06/2021) National Leadership Grants for Libraries, Learning Spaces in Libraries, Log Number: Log Number: LG-80-15-0212-15, $249,908, PI, Yun Huang. Co-PIs: Jian Qin, Xiaozhong Liu.

(06/2017-05/2022) NSF CAREER Award, Inclusive Privacy: Effective Privacy Management for People with Visual Impairments, $497,873, PI, Yang Wang.

(11/2015-10/2016) Syracuse University Internal Research Grant Program, Accessible Online Social Learning via Crowdsourcing, $11,250, PI, Yun Huang.

(10/2015-09/2018) National Leadership Grants for Libraries, Learning Spaces in Libraries, Log Number: LG-80-15-0212-15, $281,263, PI, Yun Huang. Co-PI, R. David Lankes, Jian Qin. Out of total 155 applications, only 15 projects were awarded (less than 10% award rate).

(08/2015-09/2016) Google Research Award, 14% award rate (805 proposals, 113 projects were funded and 27% of the funding awarded to universities outside the U.S), $38,514, PI, Yun Huang.

(06/2015-06/2016) Syracuse University's Information Technology Services (ITS), $3,600, PI, Yun Huang.

(06/2015-06/2016) SU ADVANCE Cross-Sector/Interdisciplinary Opportunity Grants, $10,000, PI, Yun Huang.

(09/2015-08/2016) REU supplements National Science Foundation IIS 1464312, $16,000, Yun Huang.

(2015-2017) National Science Foundation, CRII SaTC: Privacy-Enhancing User Interfaces Based on Individualized Mental Models, Standard Grant, $159,586, PI, Yang Wang.

(09/2015-08/2016) National Science Foundation, CRII: CHS: Mobile Crowdsourcing System for Public Safety, Standard Grant, $189,141, PI, Yun Huang.

(09/2014-08/2018) National Science Foundation, Spreading SEEDS: Large-Scale Dissemination of SEED Labs for Security Education, Standard Grant, total $827,385 for 4 years. PI, Kevin Du, Co-PI, Yang Wang.

(09/2013-08/2018) National Institute for Disability Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) ICWC, DRRP on Inclusive Cloud and Web Computing, Syracuse University Subcontract, total $866,000 for 5 years. PI, Yang Wang, Co-PI, Yun Huang.



Contact

Email: yvw AT illinois DOT edu
Lab Phone: 217-244-0401
Address: SALT Lab, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL 61820-6211