Biography

Ben Lafreniere is a Senior Principal Research Scientist at Autodesk Research in Toronto, where he studies how emerging technologies can expand the boundaries of human-computer interaction. His research currently focuses on human-AI interaction, with an emphasis on designing new ways for people to work effectively with generative AI. His previous research has explored adaptive user interfaces, gesture-based interaction, and interactive help and learning techniques for feature-rich software.

Ben holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo and has more than 10 years of experience working in industry research labs. Before his current role at Autodesk Research, he worked at Reality Labs Research at Meta and co-founded Chatham Labs, a human-computer interaction research startup. Across his research career, he has authored 44 peer-reviewed publications, which have received more than 1,200 citations, and his work has contributed to 21 patents.