James Landay

Timeline

1. 1990–1996

   Degrees at Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon

   He earns a BS in electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley in 1990. At Carnegie Mellon University, he completes an MS in computer science in 1993 and a PhD in computer science in 1996.

2. 1995

   The SILK sketching tool

   In 1995, Landay and Brad Myers coauthor “Interactive Sketching for the Early Stages of User Interface Design.” SILK lets designers sketch an interface with an electronic pad and stylus, then test its behavior through interactive storyboards.

3. 1997–2003

   Design tools at Berkeley

   From 1997 to 2003, he is a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Berkeley. His work includes DENIM, a tool for sketching websites, and he co-founds NetRaker in 1998 to provide web-based website evaluation tools.

4. 2003–2013

   Washington and Intel Labs Seattle

   He works in computer science and engineering at the University of Washington from 2003 to 2013. From 2003 to 2006, he also directs Intel Labs Seattle, which studies applications and technology for ubiquitous computing. Keynote Systems acquires NetRaker, where he is co-founder and chief scientist, in 2004.

5. 2008

   UbiFit encourages physical activity

   In 2008, Landay leads a University of Washington mobile computing project that includes UbiFit and UbiGreen, developed with Intel. UbiFit tracks exercise and displays flowers and butterflies on a phone as users meet activity goals. In a three-month field experiment, people with this display maintain their exercise routines through the winter holidays.

6. 2013–2014

   Cornell Tech and Stanford

   He serves as a professor of information science at Cornell Tech in New York City from 2013 to 2014. In 2014, he joins Stanford as a professor of computer science.

7. 2016–2024

   ACM fellowship and research award

   In 2016, he becomes a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery. In 2024, he receives the ACM SIGCHI Lifetime Research Award.

8. 2024

   Co-director of Stanford HAI

   A co-founder of Stanford's Institute for Human-Centered AI, he becomes its co-director in 2024. His research includes the Smart Primer, a personalized AI tutor that uses stories to help children learn.

9. October 2025

   Just-in-time objectives for AI

   In October 2025, he coauthors “Just-In-Time Objectives: A General Approach for Specialized AI Interactions.” The work introduces an architecture that infers a user's immediate goals from observed behavior and uses those goals to guide language models toward specialized tools and responses.

10. Since 2026

    Denning Director of Stanford HAI

    In 2026, he becomes Denning Director of Stanford's Institute for Human-Centered AI as the institute unites with Stanford Data Science. He is also a professor of computer science, the Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan Professor in Stanford's School of Engineering, and a senior fellow at HAI. He specializes in human-computer interaction.