People

Meet Brian Smith, the Lab's Director

Brian A. Smith is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University and the director of the Computer-Enabled Abilities Laboratory (CEAL). He is also a Research Scientist in the Human–Computer Interaction research team at Snap Inc., the company behind Snapchat and Spectacles. His research goal is to develop computers that can grant people the ability to perceive and interact with the world around them. His approach is interdisciplinary and incorporates AI, accessibility, computer vision, game design, and social computing.

He encourages diversity and equity of all types in the lab, and he considers advising to be the most fulfilling part of his job. He enjoys helping students discover what it means to make an impact on the world in a way they can be proud of. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Columbia University. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, video games, the arts, and being embarrassingly bad at responding to email.