I am currently a research director at Meta. My reesarch in human motion has wide applications in robotics, AR/VR, games and movies, and biomechanics. I have contributed to the body tracking and hand tracking features in Meta Quest. In a previous life, I was an R&D engineer at Industrial Light & Magic, where I developed animation and rigging tools for artistis. I am interested in building accessible and intuitive tools for creative expression and storytelling in immersive 3D experiences. Sometimes, I am lucky enough to publish early research ideas. Check out my research projects and Google Scholar to learn more about my work.

I currently maintain the Momentum library and the Momentum Human Rig (MHR). They are foundational building blocks for digital human research at Meta, powering avatars related products and the SAM3D Body project.

I received my Ph.D. degree in computer science from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2012, under the advice of Dr. C. Karen Liu. My thesis is on animation algorithms for virtual avatars to interact naturally with forces, terrains, and rigid objects in a physically plausible manner. Before attending Georgia Tech, I spent a year at the University of Southern California with Karen after getting a master's degree from the University of Virginia in 2006, where I worked with Dr. David C. Brogan on momentum-based bipedal balance control. I also hold a B.S. degree in computer science from Peking University in Beijing, China.