Hao Li is a renowned computer scientist and entrepreneur, whose work has significantly impacted the fields of Computer Graphics and Computer Vision. As the founder and CEO of Pinscreen, Inc., he has been instrumental in driving innovation and growth in the company.
In addition to his entrepreneurial pursuits, Li holds the distinguished position of Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. His academic background is marked by a strong foundation in computer science, having previously served as an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southern California.
Li's impressive professional trajectory also includes stints as director of the Vision and Graphics Lab at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies, as well as visiting professor at Weta Digital and research lead at Industrial Light & Magic / Lucasfilm. His research focus has centered around the development of algorithms for 3D processing, which have been widely adopted in the visual effects industry.
These algorithms have enabled the automation of digital human creation and real-time facial performance capture in virtual production. Notably, Li was responsible for the high-fidelity facial performance capture pipeline that reenacted the deceased actor Paul Walker in the movie Furious 7 (2015) while working at Weta Digital.
Li's contributions to the field have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including the TR35 Award in 2013, which honored him as one of the top 35 innovators under the age of 35, as designated by the MIT Technology Review. He also received the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Award in 2018 and was named to the DARPA ISAT Study Group in 2019.
In 2020, Li won the ACM SIGGRAPH Real-Time Live! "Best in Show" award, further solidifying his reputation as a leading figure in the field of computer graphics and computer vision.
