IEEE VIS 2025 is the premier forum for advances in theory, methods, and applications of visualization and visual analytics. The conference will convene an international community of researchers and practitioners from universities, government, and industry to exchange recent findings on the design and use of visualization tools. This year&rsquo;s Conference will be held November 2 to 7 in Vienna, Austria 
EVL PhD students Sanjana Srabanti, Leonardo Ferreira, and Gustavo Moreira have had their research papers accepted into the Conference: 
&ldquo;StreetWeave: A Declarative Grammar for Street-Overlaid Visualization of Multivariate Data&rdquo; 
Sanjana Srabanti, G. Elisabeta Marai, Fabio Miranda 
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (To appear) 
This is Sanjana&rsquo;s second full paper at a visualization conference, following her first at PacificVis. The paper proposes a design space for street-overlaid visualizations, and a declarative grammar to operationalize such space. 
&ldquo;VA-Blueprint: Uncovering Building Blocks for Visual Analytics System Design&rdquo; 
Leonardo Ferreira, Gustavo Moreira, Fabio Miranda 
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (To appear) 
This is Leonardo&rsquo;ss second VIS paper, first as first author, and third full paper overall in just 1.5 years into the PhD -- and having joined the program without a CS bachelor&rsquo;ss degree. The paper proposes an LLM-based approach to extract building blocks from papers describing visual analytics systems. The data and interface for the paper are available here: <a href="https://urbantk.org/va-blueprint/">https://urbantk.org/va-blueprint/</a> 
&ldquo;Urbanite: A Dataflow-Based Framework for Human-AI Interactive Alignment in Urban Visual Analytics&rdquo; 
Gustavo Moreira, Leonardo Ferreira, Maryam Hosseini, Carolina Veiga, Fabio Miranda 
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (To appear) 
This is Gustavo&rsquo;s fourth VIS paper and the third consecutive year he has had a first-author full paper at VIS. In total, it&rsquo;s his eighth published full paper (!) in just three years into his PhD. The paper proposes a series of design features to support human-AI alignment in the creation of urban dataflows. The code and tutorials for the paper are available here: <a href="https://urbantk.org/urbanite/">https://urbantk.org/urbanite/</a>

EVL PhD Students Sanjana Srabanti, Leonardo Ferreira, and Gustavo Moreira Publish to VIS 2025

Join us in congratulating Nafiul Nipu and co-authors for a newly accepted paper in the <a href="https://visualanalyticshealthcare.github.io/homepage/2025/">VAHC: 16th Annual Workshop on Visual Analytics in Healthcare</a> at IEEE VIS'25. The Workshop on Visual Analytics in Healthcare (VAHC) is the premier research event exploring the application of data visualization and visual analytics to biomedicine. The Workshop is organized by General Chair Alessio Arleo, Eindhoven University of Technology, and Co-Chairs Renata Raidou, TU Vienna and Gabriela Morgenshtern, University of Zurich. 
N. Nipu, L. van Dijk, G. Canahuate, C.D. Fuller, G.E. Marai, &ldquo;Lessons from the Development and Deployment of an Interactive Oncological Risk Estimator&rdquo;, VAHC 2025 (16th workshop on Visual Analytics in Healthcare), in conjunction with IEEE VIS 2025, Vienna, Austria, pp. 1-7, November 2025. 
This is a &ldquo;lessons learned&rdquo; paper about our experience developing and deploying an interactive dashboard for predicting oncological risk in head and neck cancer. The tool is hosted at EVL as <a href="https://risk-calculator.evl.uic.edu/">https://risk-calculator.evl.uic.edu/</a>, it is publicly available, and it is currently used by a large clinician base across multiple continents, which is very impressive. From the data visualization perspective, this work is particularly interesting because we collected clinician feedback more than a year after the initial deployment.

&ldquo;Lessons from the Development and Deployment of an Interactive Oncological Risk Estimator&rdquo; to be Presented at VAHC 2025

EVL PhD candidate Hossein Fathollahian has his short paper accepted at the <ahref="http://biovis.net/2025/">BioMedVis Challenge 2025</a>, a data contest organized by <a href="https://ieeevis.org/year/2025/welcome">IEEE VIS 2025</a>. 
H. Fathollahian, S. Zhao, M. Nipu, G.E. Marai, &ldquo;Attention-based Region of Interest Discovery in 3D Tissue Images&rdquo;, IEEE BioMedVis Challenge 2025, IEEE VIS, 2025. 
This work presents an approach for the detection and exploration of regions of interest (ROIs) using graph-based analysis. The novel computational approach for ROI detection is a main strength, and the interactive frontend includes several features addressing the challenge tasks, such as quick navigation to prominent ROIs. 
Additionally, Hossein paper &ldquo;From Peaks to Patterns&rdquo; was accepted to the ReDesign Contest: 
Authors: Hossein Fathollahian, Marziye Salahshour 
Abstract: MRS is a non-invasive way of gaining information about cellular metabolism and can be used to study neurological and metabolic disorders. However, the clinical utility is limited by low signal quality, overlapping spectral peaks, and the inability to interpret and compare metabolite data. We developed an interactive visual analysis system that establishes the methods by adding filtering, quality measurement, and a comparative summary of MRS signals. This will allow researchers to perform a more accurate evaluation of spectral data, which will help them understand the molecular processes behind the complex neurological and metabolic processes in greater depth. 
Congratulations, Hossein!

BioMedVis 2025 Accepted Papers

On Friday, October 3rd, EVL hosted the College of Engineering&rsquo;s Fall 2025 Advisory Board meeting in EVL&rsquo;s new visual data science space <a href="https://arcade.evl.uic.edu/web/">Arcade</a>. Arcade is located in the new Computer Design Research Learning Center (CDRLC) building and is an instrument designed for UIC science and engineering research and research training - a digital Project Room that enables domain scientists and computer scientists to collaborate on real-world problems by providing them with high-performance computing, high-resolution displays, and sophisticated Artificial Intelligence (AI), data analytic, data simulation, image processing, visualization, and virtual-reality software and services. 
Arcade offers on-site computing with adequate support, as well as collaboration software services. It is a configurable computing environment that prioritizes real-time, interactive, collaborative, and data-intensive applications, while also supporting off-hours batch-mode processing. Users can execute code more quickly, apply more sophisticated analytics to large-scale problems, gain deeper insights, and open new avenues of research. The Arcade&rsquo;s collaboration software enables researchers to interact locally with colleagues using the display walls or engage in video-teleconferences while simultaneously sharing and interacting with their data on the large displays, which remote viewers can also access online.

EVL Hosts COE Advisory Board Fall Meeting 2025

EVL Director and Computer Science Professor Michael Papka and Professor Zhiling Lan have received a new award from the National Science Foundation Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE): Core Programs entitled &ldquo;SHF:Small: Beyond Performance: Energy-Conscious High Performance Computing.&rdquo; The grant project period runs 10/01/2025 to 09/30/2028 for $540,000. 
Abstract: 
As high-performance computing (HPC) systems grow increasingly heterogeneous and application workloads become more diverse, achieving both high performance and energy efficiency poses a significant challenge. While performance optimization remains essential, energy efficiency has emerged as a critical priority due to substantial infrastructure demands, operational costs, and environmental impact. This project tackles two fundamental barriers to energy-conscious HPC: power waste in heterogeneous hardware and the lack of dynamic power coordination. It develops a holistic framework, EcoHPC, to enable energy-efficient execution of hybrid workloads on heterogeneous systems. The anticipated outcomes have broad scientific, economic, and environmental impacts. Additionally, an integrated education plan aims to train the next generation of the HPC workforce. 
The project introduces three core technical innovations. First, it exploits collaborative filtering-based recommendation systems that combine offline analysis with real-time profiling to model application performance–power trade-offs and guide scheduling decisions. Second, it applies multi-objective optimization and Pareto-front analysis to treat power as a first-class schedulable resource, enabling system-wide coordination and optimization. Third, it develops adaptive runtime systems that dynamically predict application phases and resource demands, allowing applications to minimize power waste while maximizing performance under power constraints. Together, these innovations yield new workload models, energy-aware allocation methods, and runtime strategies that significantly enhance energy efficiency in heterogeneous computing environments.

Researchers Michael Papka and Zhiling Lan Receive New NSF CISE Award

Hypertext 2025 Virtual Reality Exhibition in the CAVE2 VR Environment 
Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL), University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) 
842 W Taylor St. Room 2036 
Chicago IL 60607 
September 16, 2025 @ 4.30pm 
Your VR Theater experience awaits! 
Plunge into the surrounds of our burning forests. Explore the ghostly seams of the logistical city. 
Immersive CAVE2 Virtual Reality Exhibition -- Hidden Costs of Logistics and the Disappearing Wild -- highlights immersive projects that explore the intersections of anthropology, design, theater, creative coding, typography, and hypertext interaction to tackle some of the world’s most complex problems. From disappearing ecosystems to the invisible machinery behind global supply chains, each project invites participants to observe and reflect on the environmental, social, and economic impacts shaping the American Midwest and our planetary well-being. 
Developed by multi-institutional teams of anthropologists, artists, and computer scientists from the University of Chicago, UIC, and Yale, and created by the Creative Coding participants in the Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL), these VR experiences confront pressing global challenges with ethnographic insight and design innovation. Participants will journey through digitally rendered 360 landscapes of deforestation and the unseen logistical labor behind everyday commodities. By merging art, technology, and interactive hypertext in storytelling, these projects advance critical conversations around climate change, social justice, and the hidden infrastructures that sustain -- and strain -- life on Earth. 
Supported and organized by the Hypertext2025 Conference, the Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL), the Department of Computer Science and the School of Design at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and the Department of Anthropology at the University of Chicago. 
Featured Projects: 
CAVE2 Virtual Reality Exhibition: Project Fulfillment 
by Daria Tsoupikova, Julie Y. Chu, Alexandria Schmidt, Harini Kumar, Shahira Bhasha, Gaeun Lee, Eunseo Ko, Kenzell Huggins, Darshan Shet and Farah Kamleh 
Interactive VR Exhibition: Why Must We Make It All Burn? 
by Alexandra Preuss 
ACM Hypertext 2025 Conference <a href="https://ht.acm.org/ht2025/">website</a>.

CAVE2 VR Exhibition: The Hidden Costs of Logistics and the Disappearing Wild

The The VR project &ldquo;Fulfillment: a field guide to the logistical city&rdquo; a multi-year research project developed at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) in collaboration with the Anthropology Department at the University of Chicago will be exhibited as part of the <a href="https://ht.acm.org/ht2025/">ACM Hypertext 2025 Conference</a> to be held in Chicago, September 15-18. 
Spearheaded by UIC School of Design and EVL Professor Daria Tsoupikova, &ldquo;Fulfillment&rdquo; was enabled through a unique collaboration between anthropologists, designers, and other social scientists from several research institutions spanning the U.S., Europe and Asia with support from the National Science Foundation. The project brings VR technology to the forefront of anthropological research to engage participants in guided first-hand observation of the hidden aspects of logistics and the behind-the-scenes effects of supply chain capitalism on ecology, labor and socio-economic well-being. This immersive experience unfolds the increasingly pervasive yet often obscured ways in which the infrastructural and operative dimensions of commercial logistics are reshaping the way we work, live, and relate to each other and to our environments.

CAVE2 Virtual Reality Exhibition: Project &ldquo;Fulfillment&rdquo;

Computer Science professor and EVL High-Performance Computing (HPC) faculty member Zhiling Lan is this year&rsquo;s general chair with Ioan Raicu of the Illinois Institute of Technology. IEEE eScience 2025 brings together leading interdisciplinary research communities, developers, and users of eScience applications and enabling IT technologies. The objective of the eScience Conference is to promote and encourage all aspects of eScience and its associated technologies, applications, algorithms, and tools with a strong focus on practical solutions and challenges. 
Dr. Lan will bring her expertise in HPC, artificial intelligence, cloud and IoT infrastructures, among other technological innovations to the organization of the event scheduled to be held September 15-18, 2025 at the Embassy Suites Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile, Chicago.

CS Professor & EVL Faculty Member Zhiling Lan General Chair eScience 2025

EVL&rsquo;s Director (2014-2020) Maxine Brown continues to contribute to the advancement of research innovation as The 6th Global Research Platform (6GRP) Workshop Coordinator with long time EVL collaborator Joe Mambretti (International Center for Advanced Internet Research (iCAIR), Northwestern University) as Workshop Chair. The Workshop focuses on recent and emerging advances in architectures, services, technologies, and infrastructures driven by the requirements of large-scale, data-intensive, scientific research. Speakers present their innovations and explain how their work supports global science research. The 6GRP Workshop program consists of five themes: 
- Large-Scale Global Science 
- Next-Generation Research Platforms 
- International Testbeds for Data-Intensive Science and the Transition to Tbps-800G-400G WANs 
- Global Networking for Science Initiatives 
- Enhancements of Major R&E Networks and Open Exchange Points 
6GRP is co-located with the IEEE International Conference on <a href="https://www.escience-conference.org/2025/">eScience 2025</a>. GRP Workshops and eScience Conferences co-locate because of their similar but complementary goals. Whereas both focus on data- and compute-intensive research across domain sciences, GRP promotes communication strategies for next-generation distributed services and infrastructure. 
6GRP will be held at the Embassy Suites Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile, Chicago, September 15-16, 2025.

EVL Director Emeritus Maxine Brown 6GRP Workshop Chair

Computer Science and EVL Professor Liz Marai and Andrew Boyd, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Chief Research Information Officer, organized and led the <a href="https://hds.uic.edu/news-and-events/2025-bootcamp-information/">2025 Health Data Science Interdisciplinary Bootcamp</a>, which aims to bridge healthcare and data science research at UIC. Computer Science Associate Professor Elena Zheleva and Assistant Professor Hao Chen were among the participants, and Professor Bhaskar das Gupta was one of the bootcamp mentors. 
The second annual bootcamp organized by the UIC Institute for Health Data Science Research took place on August 18-22 2025. It was the second bootcamp of this type organized at UIC, and took a quite unique and innovative approach to bridging healthcare and data science. In a 5-day long facilitated workshop, 15 researchers from the two campuses (UIC and UI Health), most of whom had not met before: formed interdisciplinary teams of 3-4 individuals around unique project ideas; learned and practiced the basic principles of team science and collaboration; received hands on training and information about funding opportunities; identified the significance and innovation of those ideas; received targeted feedback from peers and mentors, which enabled the teams to repeatedly pivot and refine the project ideas; and refined those ideas repeatedly until they turned into remarkably inventive mini-proposals for seed funding. In the following year, the Institute will work with the teams to strengthen and submit unique project proposals to federal funding agencies and other funding sources.

EVL PhD Students Sanjana Srabanti, Leonardo Ferreira, and Gustavo Moreira Publish to VIS 2025

Contact