Inside the SMILE Lab

Recent News

    News

      Honors & Distinctions

      • 2026
      • 2026
      • 2025
      • 2025
        University of Florida, Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering
      • 2024
        University of Florida, J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering
      • 2024
        University of Florida Research Computing
      • 2024
        University of Florida
      • 2024
        National Academy of Inventors (NAI)
      • 2024
        The 17th International Conference on Health Informatics (HEALTHINF/BIOSTEC), Italy, Rome
      • 2023
        Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of FL (ASEMFL)
      • 2022
      • 2022
      • 2022
        Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, University of Florida
      • 2021
        J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida
      • 2020
        NVIDIA-University of Florida
      • 2020
        University of Florida Center for Teaching Excellence
      • 2020
        For the highest-scoring abstract, Co-Authored Paper
        American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Annual Meeting in Houston, TX, March 18-21, 2020.
      • 2018
      • 2018
        Top-ranked (#1) in “Fovea Detection” System, First International Diabetic Retinopathy Grading and Segmentation Challenge
        IEEE International Symposium of Biomedical Imaging
      • 2018
        Top-ranked (#1) in “Optical Disc Segmentation” System, First International Diabetic Retinopathy Grading and Segmentation Challenge
        IEEE International Symposium of Biomedical Imaging
      • 2017
        Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
      • 2017
        Robin Sidhu Memorial Young Scientist Award
        Society of Brain Mapping and Theurapeutics
        Covered by PR Newswire, Yahoo, NEWS
      • 2016
        NSF Best REU and RET Poster Awards
        NSF REU Poster Award
        Dr. Fang's mentee, Paul Naghshineh from George Washington University, won the Best REU Poster Award at the annual REU Symposium at FIU. Christian McDonald with Edda I. Rivera, teachers from Miami Jackson Senior High School and John A. Ferguson Senior High School, under Dr. Fang's mentorship, won the Best RET Poster Award. Congratulations to Paul, Christian and Edda!
      • 2016
        Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award
        Oak Ridge Associated Universities
        ORAU Powe Award
        Dr. Fang has been selected to receive the 2016 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oak Ridge Associated Universities (two nominations from each institute, 35 awardees out of 132 applicants).
      • 2016
        NSF IIS CRII Award on "Characterizing, Modeling and Evaluating Brain Dynamics"
        NSF CRII Award
      • 2015
        CISE CAREER Workshop Travel Award
        National Science Foundation
      • 2014
        Hsien Wu and Daisy Yen Wu Memorial Award
        Cornell University
        Cornell University Hsien Wu and Daisy Yen Wu Memorial Award
        In recognition of the excellent progress in the academic program and high potential for a successful academic career (5 awardees out of all graduate students at Cornell University).
      • 2012
        ECE Women's Conference Travel Grant
        IBM-Cornell University
      • 2010
        Best Paper Award
        IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP)
        IEEE ICIP Best Paper Award
        Best Paper Award at the 17th International Conference on Image Processing, 2010. (Top 1 out of 1190 accepted papers, first author publication)
      • 2010
        Best PhD Poster Award, Cornell Engineering
        Cornell Engineering Research Conference
      • 2009
        Irwin and Joan Jacobs Fellowship
        Cornell University
        Cornell University Jacobs Fellowship
        Awarded to students who exemplify strength and potential in academics, service, and leadership, 2009-2010

      Grants & Awards

        Education

        • Ph.D.

          Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering

          Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

        • B.E.

          B.E. in Information Engineering

          Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

        Professional Service (Selected)

        • Editoral 2025-Present

          VSI: Foundation Models for Computational Pathology in Medical Image Analysis, The Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference

        • Editorial 2024-Present

          Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering, Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering

        • President 2023-Present

          Women in MICCAI (WiM)

          Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention (MICCAI) Society

        • Editorial 2022-Present

          Women in Brain Imaging and Stimulation, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience Journal

        • Area Chair 2022-Present

          MICCAI Conference

          The International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assited Intervention (MICCAI)

        • Associate Editor 2021-Present

          Medical Image Analysis

        • Editorial 2015-Present

          Computerized Medical Imaging and Graphics, Elsevier

        • Reviewer

          Nature Neuroscience, npj Digital Medicine, Scientific Data, IEEE Reviews in Biomedical Engineering, The Lancet, Nature Machine Intelligence, Science Advances, IEEE TPAMI, IEEE TNNLS, MIA, IEEE TMI, IEEE TIP

        Academic Positions

        • BME

          Tenured Associate Professor

          University of Florida J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering

        • 2025 2024 Stanford

          Visiting Associate Professor

          Stanford University School of Medicine

          Stanford Science Visiting Professorship

          Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences

        • 2025 2025 Harvard

          Visiting Associate Professor

          Harvard University

          Harvard Medical School

          Massachusetts General Brigham

        • IC3

          Associate Director

          University of Florida UF Intelligent Critical Care Center (IC3)

        • ECE

          Affliated Faculty

          University of Florida Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

        • COM

          Affiliated Faculty

          University of Florida Department of Radiology, College of Medicine

        • CISE

          Affiliated Faculty

          University of Florida Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering

        • CAM

          Affiliated Faculty

          University of Florida The Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory Clinical Translational Research (CAM)

        • UFGI

          Affiliated Faculty

          University of Florida Genetics Institute (UFGI)

        • UFHCC

          Affiliated Faculty

          University of Florida UF Health Cancer Center

        • EPI

          Affiliated Faculty

          University of Florida Emerging Pathogens Institute

        • FIXEL

          Affiliated Faculty

          University of Florida Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases

        Acknowledgements

        • Our work is supported by:

          National Science Foundation logo National Institutes of Health logo Department of Homeland Security logo Department of Defense logo Oak Ridge Associated Universities logo NVIDIA logo Oracle logo Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics logo University of Florida logo UF Informatics Institute logo Clinical and Translational Science Institute logo McKnight Brain Research Foundation logo

        Current Members

        Postdoc Researchers

        Peng Liu

        Postdoc, 2023 - Now

        Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, 2021
        Postdoc, Psychology and Brain Science, DartMouth College, 2022-2023
        Postdoc, University of Florida, 2023-Now

        Wasif Khan

        Postdoc, 2024 - Now

        Postdoc, University of Florida, 2024 - Now

        Ph.D. Students

        Seowung Leem

        Ph.D. Candidate, 2021-Now

        Biomedical Engineering

        UF Outstanding Merit Award from UF International Center, IEEE NextGen Scholar Award, UF Pruitt Research Day Best Poster Presentation Award

        Joseph Cox

        Ph.D. Student, 2022-Now

        Biomedical Engineering

        NIH NIAAA T32 Fellow

        Junfu Cheng

        Ph.D. Student, 2024-Now

        Electrical and Computer Engineering

        Zhimin Zong

        Ph.D. Student, 2022-Now

        Electrical and Computer Engineering

        Zeyun Zhao

        Ph.D. Student, 2025-Now

        Biomedical Engineering

        Ethan Meidinger

        Ethan Meidinger

        Ph.D. Student, 2026-Now

        Biomedical Engineering


        Co-advise or Collaborating PhD Students


        Boxiao Yu

        Ph.D. Student, 2022-Now

        Biomedical Engineering

        Ziqian Huang

        Ph.D. Student, 2022-Now

        Biomedical Engineering


        M.S. Students


        Qixuan Wu

        M.S. Student, Jan 2026

        Computer and Information Science & Engineering

        Sivaramakrishnan (Siva)

        M.S. Student, September 2025

        Computer and Information Science

        Lakksh Tyagi

        M.S. Student, August 2025

        Computer and Information Science

        Junfan Bai

        M.S. Student, August 2025

        Electrical and Computer Engineering

        Dev Patel

        M.S. Student, Jan 2025

        Computer and Information Science

        Chintan Acharya

        M.S. Student, 2024-Now

        Computer and Information Science


        PostBac Researchers

        Gavin Hart

        Post-Baccalaureate

        Neuroscience

        GATORAADE Fellow

        Undergraduate Students

        Brady Stemac

        Undergraduate Student

        Biomedical Engineering

        Yixuan (Zoey) Cao

        Undergraduate Student

        Mathematics, Statistics

        Russell Corporation Endowed Scholarship

        Sanjana Dundigalla

        Undergraduate Student

        Data Science and Psychology

        Samuel Zheng

        Undergraduate Student

        Biomedical Engineering

        NSF REU Awardee
        Tara Sahni

        Tara Sahni

        Summer Research Intern

        Cognitive Science

        Rutgers University

        Veronica Ramos

        Undergraduate Student

        Biomedical Engineering

        Collaborators

        Jiang Bian

        Indiana University
        Health Department

        Mingzhou Ding

        University of Florida
        Department of Biomedical Engineering

        Andreas Keil

        University of Florida
        Department of Psychology

        Adam Woods

        University of Texas, Dallas
        Department of Neuroscience

        Aprinda I Queen

        University of Florida
        Department of Clinical and Health Psychology

        Samuel Wu

        University of South Florida
        Department of Biostatistics

        My Thai

        University of Florida
        Department of Computer Science and Engineering

        Leonid L. Moroz

        University of Florida
        Department of Neuroscience, Genetics, Chemistry & Biology

        Marco Salemi

        University of Florida
        Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine

        Ivana Parker

        University of Florida
        Department of Biomedical Engineering

        Yonghui Wu

        University of Florida
        Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics

        Alumni

        M.D. Alumni

        Simeng Zhu

        Doctor of Medicine, 2018-2022
        Medical Resident at Henry Ford Hospital Radiation Oncology, 2019-2023

        Assistant Professor at Ohio State University from Fall 2023

        PostDoc Alumni

        Diandra Ojo

        Postdoc, 2023-2024

        Co-mentor with Dr. Ivana Parker

        PostDoc, University of Florida, ECE

        Ph.D. Alumni

        Skylar Stolte

        Ph.D. Candidate, 2020-2025

        Biomedical Engineering

        NIH F31 Fellow, UF Graduate Student Preeminence Award, Attributes of a Gator Engineer Award, Cluff Aging Research Award, Pioneering Research HiPerGator Award

        PostDoc Associate, University of Florida

        Chaoyue Sun

        Ph.D. Candidate, 2020-Now

        Electrical and Computer Engineering

        UF Outstanding Merit Award from UF International Center, Best Paper Award from HEALTHINF 2024 Conference

        Applied Scientist, Amazon

        Yao Xiao

        Doctor of Philosophy, 2017-2020

        Biomedical Engineering

        BMES 2020 Career Development Award
        Graduate Student Speaker at College of Engineering Commencement 2020

        Assistant Professor, Mayo Clinic

        Peng Liu

        Doctor of Philosophy, 2016-2021

        Biomedical Engineering

        Best Abstract Award at Montreal AI & Neuroscience (MAIN) Conference
        UF Informatics Institute Graduate Fellowship

        Postdoc Associate, University of Florida

        Kyle See

        Ph.D. Candidate, 2019-2024

        Biomedical Engineering

        UF Graduate Student Preeminence Award
        NIH CTSI TL1 Predoctoral Fellowship

        Postdoc Associate, University of Florida

        Tianqi Liu

        Ph.D. Student, 2019-2024

        Electrical and Computer Engineering

        Senior Researcher, Tencent Americas


        M.S. Alumni

        Yuetong Lu

        M.S Student, May 2025

        University of Washington

        Masters in Technology Innovation

        DeveloperWeek 2024 Overall Winner

        Dong-You (Sam) Jhong

        M.S. Student, Jan 2025

        Electrical and Computer Engineering

        Travis Koenig

        M.S. Student, 2023-Now

        Biomedical Engineering

        Pratyush Shukla

        M.S. Student, 2023-Now

        Computer Science

        Zeyun Zhao

        Ph.D. Student, 2024-Now

        Biomedical Engineering

        Everett J. Schwieg

        M.S. Student, 2022-2024

        Biomedical Engineering

        Fan Yang

        M.S. Student, 2022-2024

        Ph.D. student, NJIT

        Ayesha Naikodi

        M.S. Computer Information Science and Engineering, 2022-2023

        Ph.D. student, University of Florida

        Huang Hong

        Master of Engineering, 2021-2023

        Electrical and Computer Engineering

        Jimmy Ossa

        Master of Engineering, 2020-2022

        Software Engineer at Infotech

        Shen Kai

        Master of Engineering, 2021-2022

        PhD Student at University of Florida

        Jiaqing Zhang

        Master of Engineering, ECE, UF 2020-2022

        PhD student at University of Florida

        Shreya Verma

        Master of Engineering, BME, UF 2019-2021

        Ph.D. student at Penn State University

        Bhavin Soni

        Master of Engineering, BME, 2019-2021

        Neuroimaging Engineer, Washington University at St. Louis

        Yangjunyi Li

        Masters Student, UF BME, 2017-2018

        Senior Scientist, Computational Biologist, Eli Lilly and Company

        Yun Liang

        UF BME, 2018-2019

        PhD student, UF BME

        Micheal Adeyosoye

        MS-PhD, FIU Bridge to PhD Fellowship, 2016-2017

        PhD Student, FIU

        Jingan Qu

        Masters Student, 2015-2017

        Data Scientist, Applied Research Center FIU

        Daniel Parra

        Masters Student, 2015-2016

        Software Engineer, ProActive Technologies, LLC

        Haodi Jiang

        Masters Student, 2014-2015

        PhD student at NJIT

        Sherman Ng

        M.Eng. 2010-2011 @ Cornell ECE

        Software Engineer, Microsoft


        Undergraduate Alumni

        Ritika Samanta

        Undergraduate Student

        Computer Science and Psychology BCN

        Sanandan Ojha

        Undergraduate Student

        Biomedical Engineering

        Thrisha Acharya

        Undergraduate Student

        Microbiology and Cell Sciences

        Jason Chen

        Undergraduate Student

        Computer Science

        NSF REU Awardee, UF AI Scholar

        Amy Lazarte

        Undergraduate Student

        Biomedical Engineering

        NSF REU Awardee, UF AI Scholar

        Surya Karthikeyan Vijayalakshmi

        Undergraduate Student

        Computer Science

        Minhyeok Wi

        Undergraduate Student

        Electrical Engineering

        Akshay Ashok

        Undergraduate Student

        Computer Science

        UF AI Scholar

        Grace Cheng

        Undergraduate Student

        Biomedical Engineering

        UF AI Scholar

        Michelle Mu

        Undergraduate Student

        Biology

        Thomas Howland

        Undergraduate Student

        Biomedical Engineering

        Kevin Liu

        Undergraduate Student

        Physics

        Ethan Smith

        Ethan Smith

        Undergraduate Student

        Neurobiology and Behavior

        Justin Broce

        Undergraduate Student

        Computer Science

        Kyle Douglas

        Undergraduate Student

        Biomedical Engineering

        Joshua Lamb

        Undergraduate Student

        Computer Science

        Cynthia Liu

        Undergraduate Student

        Biomedical Engineering

        Jordi Bardia

        B.E. Computer Science, UF, 2022

        Benjamin Arnold

        Undergraduate Student

        Biomedical Engineering

        Hely Lin

        B.S. Biomedical Engineering, UF, 2020-2023

        Machine Learning Engineer, CAE Inc.

        Yiru Mu

        B.S. Computer Science, UF, 2021-2023

        M.S. student, Georgia Tech

        Garrett Fullerton

        B.S. Biomedical Engineering, UF, 2019-2022

        Ph.D. Student, Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin

        NSF GRFP Awardee
        NSF REU Awardee
        University Scholar Program

        Gianna Sweeting

        B.S. Biomedical Engineering, UF, 2020-2022
        Fernandez Family Scholar
        University Scholar Program

        Simon Kato

        B.S. Math and Statistics, UF, 2020-2022

        Ph.D. Student, Computer Science, UIUC

        NSF REU Awardee

        Brian "John" Braddock

        B.S. Biomedical Engineering, 2021-2023
        NSF REU Awardee

        Maria Cardei

        Undergraduate Student, 2020-2022

        Biomedical Engineering

        Alvin Naiju

        Undergraduate Student

        Biochemistry

        Michael McGaha

        B.S. Computer Science and Statistics, UF, 2020-2022

        Software Engineering (SDE), Amazon

        Nathan Barkdull

        B.S. Math, UF. 2020-2022

        Ph.D. student, Dynamical Neuroscience,UCSB

        Keyur Patel

        B.E. Computer Science, 2021-2022

        Jason Chen

        B.E. Computer Science, 2019-2021.

        Software Development Engineer, Facebook

        NSFUF AI Scholar

        Maximillian Diaz

        B.E. BME, 2018-2020
        University Scholar Program
        NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

        Ph.D. student at UF

        Neeva Sethi

        Undergraduate Student @ UF 2019-2023
        Computer Science
        Presidential Service Awardee
        CLAS Hall of Fame Inductee

        Daniel El Basha

        B.E. BME, NSF REU Awardee 2017-2019
        NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

        PhD student at MD Anderson

        Akshay Mathavan

        Undergraduate Researcher, University Scholar Program, 2018-2019

        Doctor of Medicine student, UF

        Akash Mathavan

        Undergraduate Researcher, University Scholar Program, 2018-2019

        Doctor of Medicine student, UF


        Visiting Students Alumni

        Yuanyuan Zhu

        Visiting Undergraduate Student, 2016 Summer

        Software Engineer, Indeed.comock

        Xing Pang

        Visiting Graduate Student, 2015-2016

        Nanjing University of Science and Technology


        K-12 Teachers

        Edda Rivera

        NSF DoD RET Teacher, Best NSF RET Poster Award at FIU SCIS RET Presentation, 2016 Summer

        High School Teacher, John A. Ferguson Senior High School

        Christian McDonald

        NSF DoD RET Teacher, Best NSF RET Poster Award at FIU SCIS RET Presentation, 2016 Summer

        High School Teacher, Miami Jackson Senior High School


        K-12 Students

        Paul Naghshineh

        NSF DoD REU Student, 2016 Summer

        Gaumard Scientific

        Sripradyumna Donthineni

        UF Student Science Training Program (SSTP), 2018 Summer

        Stanford University

        Imaan Randhawa

        UF Student Science Training Program (SSTP), 2019 Summer

        University of Florida

        Aarushi Walia

        UF Student Science Training Program (SSTP), 2019 Summer

        University of Berkeley

        Funded Projects

          Current Teaching

          • 2023 Fall

            BME4931/6938 Medical Artificial Intelligence

            1. Understand the basic concepts and techniques of machine learning.
            2. Formulate machine learning problems corresponding to different applications.
            3. Understand a range of machine learning algorithms along with their strengths and weaknesses.
            4. Acquire skills of using recent machine learning software for solving practical problems.
            5. Apply machine learning algorithms to solve problems of moderate complexity.
            6. Apply machine learning algorithms to a real-world problem, optimize the model learned and report the expected performance that can be achieved by applying the models.

            Instructor Evaluation: 5.00/5.00, Course Evaluation: 4.75/5.00

          Teaching History

          • 2023 Spring

            BME6938/CIS6930 Multimodal Data Mining

            Course Objectives: 1. Understand multimodal data mining in the biomedical domain; 2. Understand the concept, approaches, and limitations in analyzing different modalities of biomedical data. 3. Learn to use biomedical data programming libraries and skills to analyze multimodal biomedical data.

          • 2022 Fall

            BME3053C Computer Applications for BME

            The objectives this course are: 1) Develop a proficiency in the use of computer programming (specifically, MATLAB) to analyze biomedical measurements. 2) Develop an understanding of biomedical engineering problems that require quantitative analysis and visualization.

          • 2021 Fall

            BME3053C Computer Applications for BME

            The objectives this course are: 1) Develop a proficiency in the use of computer programming (specifically, MATLAB) to analyze biomedical measurements. 2) Develop an understanding of biomedical engineering problems that require quantitative analysis and visualization.

            Instructor Evaluation: 4.63/5.00, Course Evaluation: 4.38/5.00

          • 2021 Spring

            BME6938 Multimodal Data Mining

            Course Objectives: 1. Understand multimodal data mining in the biomedical domain; 2. Understand the concept, approaches, and limitations in analyzing different modalities of biomedical data. 3. Learn to use biomedical data programming libraries and skills to analyze multimodal biomedical data.

            Instructor Evaluation: 4.92/5.00, Course Evaluation: 4.70/5.00

          • 2020 Fall

            BME3053C Computer Applications for BME

            The objectives this course are: 1) Develop a proficiency in the use of computer programming (specifically, MATLAB) to analyze biomedical measurements. 2) Develop an understanding of biomedical engineering problems that require quantitative analysis and visualization.

            Instructor Evaluation: 4.83/5.00, Course Evaluation: 4.53/5.00 (Historical highest for this course)

          • 2019 Spring

            BME6938 Multimodal Data Mining

            Course Objectives: 1. Understand multimodal data mining in the biomedical domain; 2. Understand the concept, approaches, and limitations in analyzing different modalities of biomedical data. 3. Learn to use biomedical data programming libraries and skills to analyze multimodal biomedical data.

            Instructor Evaluation: 4.87/5.00

          • 2019 Fall

            BME3053C Computer Applications for BME

            The objectives this course are: 1) Develop a proficiency in the use of computer programming (specifically, MATLAB) to analyze biomedical measurements. 2) Develop an understanding of biomedical engineering problems that require quantitative analysis and visualization.

          • 2018 Fall

            BME3053C Computer Applications for BME

          • 2017 Fall

            BME3053C Computer Applications for BME

            The objectives this course are: 1) Develop a proficiency in the use of computer programming (specifically, MATLAB) to analyze biomedical measurements. 2) Develop an understanding of biomedical engineering problems that require quantitative analysis and visualization.

          • 2017 Spring

            CAP 5771 Principles of Data Mining

          • 2017 Spring

            CAP 4770 Introduction to Data Mining

          • 2016 Fall

            CAP 4770 Introduction to Data Mining

          • 2016 Spring

            CAP 5610 Machine Learning

          • 2015 Fall

            CAP 4770 Introduction to Data Mining

            Data Mining is the nontrivial extraction of implicit, previously unknown, and potentially useful information from data. It has gradually matured as a discipline merging ideas from statistics, machine learning, database and etc. This is an introductory course for junior/senior computer science undergraduate students on the topic of Data Mining. Topics include data mining applications, data preparation, data reduction and various data mining techniques (such as association, clustering, classification, anomaly detection).

          • 2015 Spring

            CAP 5610 Machine Learning

            Machine learning is concerned with the question of how to make computers learn from experience. The ability to learn is not only central to most aspects of intelligent behavior, but machine learning techniques have become key components of many software systems. For examples, machine learning techniques are used to create spam filters, to analyze customer purchase data, to understand natural language, or to detect fraudulent credit card transactions.

          Filter by type:

          Inside the SMILE Lab | University of Florida Research

          Ruogu Fang PhD CPH Seminar 1 23 24

          Unlocking brain health through multimodal digital twins and 3D vision foundation models enables comprehensive, data-driven insights for personalized diagnostics and interventions.

          AI across the BME curriculum at the University of Florida

          Dr. Ruogu Fang prepares students in a Medical AI course for a world where AI literacy is an essential part of the medical field.

          Leveraging artificial intelligence to improve healthcare

          Dr. Fang with a team of students and faculty members leverage deep neural networks to predict HIV.

          National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Workshop

          Dr. Fang presents a workshop presentation on the impact of AI in the medical & clinical environment.

          UF Engineering - Forward & Up

          Our SMILE Lab is featured on the Forward & Up video by the College of Engineering!

          ABC Action News - Supercomputing AI

          Dr. Fang is interviewed by ABC Action News in a news segment on the University of Florida's supercomputer, HiPerGator.

          2025

          Inside the SMILE Lab | University of Florida Research

          About SMILE Lab at the University of Florida Take an inside look at the SMILE Lab at the University of Florida, where Dr. Fang and the research team are pushing the boundaries of innovation. In this video, Dr. Fang walks us through the lab's mission, ongoing projects, and the collaborative environment that drives their work. Learn about the research focus areas, methodologies, and opportunities that make SMILE Lab a hub for discovery at UF.

          May 2025

          Ruogu Fang PhD CPH Seminar 1 23 24

          Unlocking brain health through multimodal digital twins and 3D vision foundation models enables comprehensive, data-driven insights for personalized diagnostics and interventions.

          April 2024

          UF AI Awards Winner Interview

          Dr. Ruogu Fang, one of the six award-winning instructors at the University of Florida, discusses the transformative role of AI in education.

          July 31, 2024

          AI Across the curriculum at UF.

          Dr. Ruogu Fang prepares students in a Medical AI course for a world where AI literacy is an essential part of the medical field.

          July 16, 2024

          Computer Vision News & Medical Imaging News.

          Dr. Fang with a team of students and faculty members leverage deep neural networks to predict HIV.

          May 2024

          Computer Vision News & Medical Imaging News.

          Dr. Ruogu Fang receives the inaugural AI Course Award for her exceptional leadership in developing and teaching the Medical Artificial Intelligence course at UF!

          March 25-26, 2024

          A Workshop on Exploring the Bidirectional Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience.

          A 1.5-day public workshop hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine explores the application of artificial intelligence in neuroscience research.

          November 20, 2023

          Study reveal bias in AI tools when diagnosing women's health issue

          Machine learning algorithms designed to diagnose a common infection that affects women showed a diagnostic bias among ethnic groups, University of Florida researchers found.

          April 6, 2023

          Your eyes may be a window into early Alzheimer's detection

          Scientists have linked certain changes in the retina to mild cognitive impairment-which may someday help identify the early signs of dementia.

          March 30, 2023

          UF Herbet Wertheim College of Engineering - Forward & Up

          See how our college is creating societal values in the far future and dissolving walls between the university and industry research and development in the latest college video.

          February 14, 2023

          Supercomputer at UF harnesses the awesome power of AI

          At the University of Florida, inside a brick building with fake windows, lives a supercomputer called HiPerGator, one of the fastest in the world to harness the power of artificial intelligence.

          January 10, 2023

          Computer Vision News

          The Medical Imaging section of Computer Vision News featured SMILE Lab, Dr. Fang, and Ph.D. student Skylar E. Stolte on our artificial intelligence research in brain health and aging.

          April 21, 2022

          UF Innovate - Tech Tuesday

          In today's Tech Tuesday, UF Innovate host Lauren Asmus introduces us to biomedical engineer, Dr. Ruogu Fang. Dr. Fang is an assistant professor at the University of Florida who made an important discovery when studying the brain and the eye.

          March 8, 2022

          Fang recieves HWCOE 2022 Faculty Award for Excellence in Innovation.

          As a key faculty member of HWCOE in the space of data science and AI, Dr. Fang’s innovative research output and impact is fundamental to the latest HWCOE initiative to embrace AI-driven innovation.

          February 2, 2022

          UF, NVIDIA partner to speed brain research using AI

          University of Florida researchers joined forces with scientists at NVIDIA, UF’s partner in its artificial intelligence initiative, and the OpenACC organization to significantly accelerate brain science as part of the Georgia Tech GPU Hackathon held last month.

          January 10, 2022

          Artificial Intelligence Prevents Dementia?

          A team at the University of Florida is using targeted transcranial direct current stimulation to save memories. “It’s a weak form of electrical stimulation applied to the scalp. And this weak electric current actually has the ability to alter how the neurons behave,” continued Woods.

          December 6, 2021

          UF study shows artificial intelligence’s potential to predict dementia

          New research published today shows that a form of artificial intelligence combined with MRI scans of the brain has the potential to predict whether people with a specific type of early memory loss will develop Alzheimer’s disease or other form of dementia.

          July 19, 2021

          UF researchers fight dementia using AI technology to develop new treatment

          If presented with current models of electrical brain stimulation a decade ago, Dr. Adam J. Woods would have thought of a science-fiction movie plot. Artificial intelligence now pulls the fantasy out of screens and into reality.

          July 16, 2021

          Staving off dementia is focus of University of Florida study

          Researchers at the University of Florida have found a therapy that holds promise for preventing dementia by combining non-invasive brain stimulation with brain games.

          July 14, 2021

          UF researchers using artificial intelligence to develop treatment to prevent dementia

          UF researchers are developing a method they hope will prevent Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Dr. Ruogu Fang and Dr. Adam Woods are working to personalize brain stimulation treatments to make them as effective as possible.

          July 13, 2021

          UF researchers use AI to develop precision dosing for treatment aimed at preventing dementia

          UF researchers studying the use of a noninvasive brain stimulation treatment paired with cognitive training have found the therapy holds promise as an effective, drug-free approach for warding off Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

          February 2021

          Our eyes may provide early warning signs of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

          Forget the soul — it turns out the eyes may be the best window to the brain. Changes to the retina may foreshadow Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and researchers say a picture of your eye could assess your future risk of neurodegenerative disease.

          December 4, 2020

          Eye Blood Vessels May Diagnose Parkinson's Disease

          A simple eye exam combined with powerful artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning technology could provide early detection of Parkinson's disease, according to research being presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

          December 1, 2020

          UF researchers are looking into the eyes of patients to diagnose Parkinson's Disease

          With artificial intelligence (AI), researchers have moved toward diagnosing Parkinson’s disease with, essentially, an eye exam. This relatively cheap and non-invasive method could eventually lead to earlier and more accessible diagnoses.

          November 29, 2020

          Blood Vessels in the Eye May Diagnose Parkinson's Disease

          Using an advanced machine-learning algorithm and fundus eye images, which depict the small blood vessels and more at the back of the eye, investigators are able to classify patients with Parkinson's disease compared against a control group.

          November 29, 2020

          Eye exam possible test to determine Parkinson's disease

          Scientists have determined a simple eye exam combined with powerful artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning technology that could provide early detection of Parkinson's disease.

          November 25, 2020

          Scientists Are Looking Into The Eyes Of Patients To Diagnose Parkinson’s Disease

          With artificial intelligence (AI), researchers have moved toward diagnosing Parkinson's disease with, essentially, an eye exam. This relatively cheap and non-invasive method could eventually lead to earlier and more accessible diagnoses.

          November 23, 2020

          Eye Exam Could Lead to Early Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis

          A simple eye exam combined with powerful artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning technology could provide early detection of Parkinson’s disease, according to research being presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

          November 23, 2020

          Simple Eye Exam With Powerful Artificial Intelligence Could Lead to Early Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis

          A simple eye exam combined with powerful artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning technology could provide early detection of Parkinson’s disease, according to research being presented at the annual meeting of RSNA.

          November 23, 2020

          RSNA 20: AI-Based Eye Exam Could Aid Early Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis

          A simple eye exam combined with powerful artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning technology could provide early detection of Parkinson’s disease, according to research being presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

          May 31, 2017

          Fang selected to ACM's Future of Computer Academy

          Dr. Ruogu Fang, incoming assistant professor in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been selected as a member of the Association for Computing Machinery’s (ACM) inaugural Future Computing Academy (FCA).

          May 31, 2016

          Researcher says head CT radiation dose can be reduced by 90 percent

          Working with radiologists at Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Ruogu Fang, Ph.D., has applied machine learning and mathematical algorithms to manipulate low-dose CT perfusion images on stroke patients.

          May 25, 2016

          Professor uses computer science to reduce patients' exposure to radiation from CT scans

          When a doctor orders a CT perfusion scan, most people don’t give it a second thought as it’s necessary to evaluate serious medical conditions such as stroke.

          December 7, 2011

          Facial recognition software spots family resemblance

          FACIAL recognition software that’s as good as people at spotting family resemblances could help to reunite lost family members – or help the likes of Facebook work out which of your friends are blood relatives.

          For Prospective Students

          Please follow the instructions. Emails sent to my UFL email address will be deleted and will not be responded.

          Postdoc

          We are hiring a Postdoc Researcher. Proficiency with Python and deep learning is required. Experience with Pytorch/Tensorflow, FSL/FreeSurfer/SPM are preferred. Please check out the job HERE.

          Please fill out this Online Form AND send me an email at smilefanglab@gmail.com with the following:

          • Subject line: "Postdoc Applicantion: YOUR_NAME - YOUR_UNIVERSITY"
          • CV
          • Transcript
          • Cover letter
          • Contact information of three references

          Ph.D. Applicants:

          For Ph.D. applicants interested in working in my lab, you can apply for the Ph.D. program in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or other related programs at UF.

          Please fill out this Online Form AND send me an email at smilefanglab@gmail.com with the following before you apply:

          • Subject line: "PhD Applicantion: YOUR_NAME - YOUR_UNIVERSITY"
          • CV
          • Transcript
          • Overview of research experiences

          Current or Incoming Master Students:

          If you are already a master student or have received admission to BME/ECE/CISE or related programs at the University of Florida, first complete the application form below.

          Please fill out this Online Form AND send me an email at smilefanglab@gmail.com with the intention for voluntary research along with the following:

          • Subject line: "Master Application: YOUR_NAME - YOUR_UNIVERSITY"
          • CV
          • Transcript

          Note: We are currently hiring for volunteer positions only.


          Undergraduate Students:

          We take undergraduates from all years and prefer students who have a good math and coding background, or at least the strong motivation and interest to build a solid math and coding background.

          Please complete the application form

          Prerequisite: Complete Coursera Machine Learning course by Andrew Ng before you can officially join the lab. (Free)

          Co-requisite: Students who have joined our lab (including PhD, MS, and UG) are strongly encouraged to complete the following courses online during their time in the lab:


          NSF Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU)

          • The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site at University of Florida (UF) provides research experience to undergraduate students a six-month/1-year program.
          • Students will work on cutting-edge research in the area of AI for brain health and brain-inspired AI under the supervision of Dr. Fang and her graduate students.
          • Improve oral and written comprehension and communication of technical knowledge.
          • Spark an interest in continuing STEM research in graduate schools.

          Requirements

          • Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States.
          • Applicant must be and remain an undergraduate student in good standing.

          All students that meet these requirements are welcome to apply! We are particularly interested in broadening participation of underrepresented groups in STEM, and women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply. We also aim to provide research experiences for students who have limited exposure and opportunities to participate in research.

          How to apply

          • Send an email to Dr. Fang entitled "REU Application_YourName" with your (i) a CV; (ii) information describing your research skills and experience; (iii) your goals and research interests for your REU research; (iv) contact details for two references. Applicants are considered on a rolling basis until filled. The deadline for 2022 application is April 1, 2022.
          • We consider applications on a rolling basis until all positions are filled.

          Why UF?

          The University of Florida (UF) is recognized as one of the nation’s leading public universities, achieving a Top 5 ranking in the recent five years by U.S. News & World Report. Located in Gainesville, a vibrant city in northern Florida, UFL is celebrated for its lush campus, innovation in research, and dynamic student life. The city is known for its rich history, cultural diversity, and excellent quality of life. UFL stands out as a leader in sustainability, cutting-edge technology, and academic excellence, offering students a supportive and inclusive environment. Below is the ranking data for UFL from various ranking institutes/organizations:

          Ranking Publisher Category Ranking Year
          The Wall Street Journal Top 100 leading Universities in USA 1 2025
          Niche Top Public Universities in America 5 2025
          U.S. News & World Report Top Public Universities 7 2024
          Forbes Top Colleges 2025 26 2024
          EduRank World University Rankings 27 2024
          U.S. News & World Report National Universities 30 2025

          We look forward to your smile at SMILE Lab to make your day!

          Academic Family Tree

          Shared root
          Gauss branch
          Euler branch
          Merged
          EE / DSP
          Current
          Landmark figure
          NAE Natl. Academy of Eng.

          Complete Academic Lineage

          From Friedrich Leibniz (1622) to Ruogu Fang — four centuries of mentorship. The tree forks at Jakob Thomasius into the Gauss branch (left) and Euler branch (right), merging at Felix Klein.

          Branch Year Name Institution Contributions & Notes
          Shared Root — common ancestor of both branches
          Root 1622
          Friedrich Leibniz
          Friedrich Leibniz
          1597–1652
          Univ. Leipzig Professor of Moral Philosophy; father of Gottfried Leibniz
          1643
          Jakob Thomasius
          Jakob Thomasius
          1622–1684
          Univ. Leipzig Philosopher and jurist; mentor to both Mencke (Gauss line) and Gottfried Leibniz (Euler line)
          Gauss Branch — via Plücker (1st advisor to Felix Klein)
          Gauss 1666
          Otto Mencke
          Otto Mencke
          1644–1707
          Univ. Leipzig Founded Acta Eruditorum (1682), Germany’s first scientific journal
          1685
          J. C. Wichmannshausen
          J. C. Wichmannshausen
          1663–1727
          Univ. Leipzig Philosopher; dissertation on divorce according to natural law
          1713
          Christian August Hausen
          Christian August Hausen
          1693–1743
          Halle-Wittenberg Mathematician and physicist; early research on electricity
          1739
          Abraham G. Kästner
          Abraham G. Kästner
          1719–1800
          Leipzig → Göttingen Encyclopedic mathematician; advisor to Pfaff (who advised Gauss)
          1786
          Johann Friedrich Pfaff
          Johann Friedrich Pfaff
          1765–1825
          Göttingen → Helmstedt Pfaffian differential systems; Gauss’s formal doctoral advisor
          1799
          Carl Friedrich Gauss
          Carl Friedrich Gauss
          1777–1855
          Helmstedt → Göttingen “Prince of Mathematicians”; fundamental theorem of algebra; 127,000+ descendants
          1812
          Christian Ludwig Gerling
          Christian L. Gerling
          1788–1864
          Göttingen → Marburg Geodesy and astronomy; extensive correspondence with Gauss
          1823
          Julius Plucker
          Julius Plücker
          1801–1868
          Marburg → Bonn Line geometry; analytic geometry; 1st (primary) advisor to Felix Klein
          Euler Branch — via Lipschitz (2nd advisor to Felix Klein)
          Euler 1666
          Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
          Gottfried W. Leibniz
          1646–1716
          Altdorf → Berlin · Hanover Co-inventor of calculus; logic; philosophy; 183,000+ academic descendants
          ~1690
          Nicolas Malebranche
          Nicolas Malebranche
          1638–1715
          Paris, Oratory French philosopher & mathematician; doctoral advisor of Jacob Bernoulli
          1684
          Jacob Bernoulli
          Jacob Bernoulli
          1655–1705
          Univ. Basel Bernoulli numbers; probability theory; discovered constant e
          1694
          Johann Bernoulli
          Johann Bernoulli
          1667–1748
          Basel → Groningen Calculus of variations; L’Hôpital’s rule; primary teacher of Euler
          1726
          Leonhard Euler
          Leonhard Euler
          1707–1783
          Basel → St. Petersburg → Berlin Most prolific mathematician in history; introduced e, i, π notation
          ~1754
          Joseph-Louis Lagrange
          Joseph-Louis Lagrange
          1736–1813
          Turin → Berlin → Paris Lagrangian mechanics; Lagrange multipliers; number theory
          ~1800
          Jean-Baptiste Fourier
          Jean-Baptiste Fourier
          1768–1830
          École Normale, Paris Fourier series and transforms; heat equation; co-advisor to Dirichlet
          1800
          Simeon Denis Poisson
          Siméon Denis Poisson
          1781–1840
          École Polytechnique Poisson distribution; electrostatics; co-advisor to Dirichlet
          1827
          Gustav Dirichlet
          Gustav Dirichlet
          1805–1859
          Bonn → Berlin → Göttingen Modern definition of function; Dirichlet series; analytic number theory
          1853
          Rudolf Lipschitz
          Rudolf Lipschitz
          1832–1903
          Univ. Berlin → Bonn Lipschitz continuity; Clifford algebras; 2nd advisor to Felix Klein
          Both Branches Merge at Felix Klein
          Merged 1868
          Felix Klein
          Felix Klein
          1849–1925
          Bonn → Erlangen → Göttingen Erlangen Program; Klein bottle; 68 PhD students; 87,000+ descendants
          1873
          Ferdinand von Lindemann
          Ferdinand von Lindemann
          1852–1939
          Erlangen → Königsberg → Munich Proved π is transcendental (1882); also advised Hilbert and Minkowski
          1891
          Arnold Sommerfeld
          Arnold Sommerfeld
          1868–1951
          Königsberg → Munich Quantum physics; advised more Nobel Prize winners than any other supervisor
          Electrical Engineering & Signal Processing Lineage
          EE/DSP 1926
          Ernst A. Guillemin
          Ernst A. Guillemin
          1898–1970
          Munich → MIT Network analysis and synthesis; IEEE Medal of Honor 1961
          1948
          David Fears Tuttle, Jr.
          David Fears Tuttle, Jr.
          1914–?
          MIT → Stanford Network synthesis; authored classic textbooks; Stanford legend
          1952
          Ernest S. Kuh
          Ernest S. Kuh NAE
          1928–2015
          Stanford → UC Berkeley Circuit theory; electronic design automation; Berkeley EECS chair & Dean
          1962
          Sanjit K. Mitra
          Sanjit K. Mitra NAE
          1935–present
          UC Berkeley → UCSB Digital signal processing; 12 books, 240+ journal papers; IEEE Education Medal 2006
          1982
          P. P. Vaidyanathan
          P. P. Vaidyanathan NAE
          1954–present
          UCSB → Caltech Filter banks and multirate signal processing; IEEE Jack S. Kilby Medal 2024
          1993
          Tsuhan Chen
          Tsuhan Chen
          1966–present
          Caltech → CMU → Cornell → NUS Computer vision; Chief Scientist of AI Singapore; ~30 patents
          Current Generation
          Present 2014
          Ruogu Fang
          Ruogu Fang
          Cornell → FIU → Univ. Florida Associate Professor, Pruitt Family Endowed Fellow, BME, UF; Director, SMILE Lab

          Data from the Mathematics Genealogy Project · Ruogu Fang on MGP

          At My Office

          J287 Biomedical Science Building
          University of Florida
          1275 Center Dr.
          Gainesville, FL, 32611.