Wearable sensing
Multimodal devices that capture physiological and behavioral signals in everyday settings.
Behind the research
A researcher. A builder. A curious human.
I’m Zhenghao (Shawn) Li, a Computer Science Ph.D. candidate at Penn State, advised by Prof. Mahanth Gowda.
I design sensing systems that connect thoughtful hardware with robust machine learning—turning subtle real-world signals into useful health insight and more accessible human experiences.
01 Research philosophy
The best wearable technology quietly disappears into daily life—yet remains rigorous enough to earn our trust. I work across devices, data, and learning to make that possible.
02 Areas of focus
One practice.
Four perspectives.
I build end-to-end wearable sensing systems at Penn State, combining hardware, signal processing, and machine learning to create tools that remain useful when they leave the lab.
Explore the researchHuman-centered AI
Models that translate noisy real-world signals into useful and understandable experiences.
Health systems
Practical sensing tools for continuous cardiovascular, metabolic, and activity insight.
Accessible computing
Wearable interfaces that support communication, learning, and participation.
03 The journey
Education &
research path.
-
2023 — Present
Ph.D. in Computer Science
Penn State University
Wearables, IoT, machine learning, and human-centered sensing systems.
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2021 — 2023
M.S. in Computer Science
University of Southern California
Artificial intelligence and machine learning.
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2017 — 2021
B.S. in Computer Science
University of California, Irvine
Software systems, data, and applied computing.
04 The toolkit
From prototype
to possibility.
- PyTorch
- TensorFlow
- Keras
- scikit-learn
- Python
- C/C++
- SQL
- Java
- Node.js
- Docker
- AWS
- Linux
- Git
Teaching & mentorship
Best Teaching Assistant Penn State CSE · 2025