Thomas Langerak

Aalto University

Department of Information and Communications Engineering

Konemiehentie 1

02150 Espoo

Finland

I am a postdoctoral researcher at Aalto University, working in the Computational Behavior Lab with Prof. Dr. Antti Oulasvirta. My research focuses on modeling human behavior using Reinforcement Learning to better understand and improve interactions with intelligent systems.

I earned my Ph.D. in Computer Science from ETH Zürich, where I worked under Prof. Dr. Otmar Hilliges in the AIT Lab. My work lies at the intersection of Machine Learning and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), aiming to integrate models of human behavior into intelligent control strategies for user interfaces, robotics, and adaptive systems. I develop algorithms that not only predict human behavior but also optimize interactions for more natural and efficient user experiences.

Before my Ph.D., I completed a joint M.Sc. in Computer Science, specializing in intelligent systems, from Aalto University and the University of Twente. My academic journey began with a B.Sc. in Industrial Design from Eindhoven University of Technology, giving me a strong foundation in both design thinking and computational methods.

Through my research, I strive to bridge the gap between AI and human behavior, making intelligent systems more adaptive, intuitive, and human-centered.

news

Oct 1, 2024	Happy to say that I graduated from my Ph.D., and will start as a postdoc at Aalto Unviersity.
Apr 30, 2024	Excited to announce that my paper on Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning for Adaptive Point-and-Click UIs has been accepted for publication in Proc. ACM Human-Computer Interaction and will be presented at EICS this June!
Jan 31, 2024	I will be graduating this year. I am looking for next opportunities in academia and industry, both as intern and full-time.
Oct 15, 2023	Finished my internship at Meta Reality Labs with a submission to IUI!
May 1, 2023	Started a Research Scientist Intern position at Meta Reality Labs! I will be working under the supervision of Kash Todi and Tanya Jonkers .

selected publications

EICS

MARLUI: Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning for Adaptive Point-and-Click UIs

Thomas Langerak, Sammy Christen, Mert Albaba, and 3 more authors

In Proc. ACM HCI, 2024

Bib Website

@inproceedings{langerak2022marlui,
  title = {MARLUI: Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning for Adaptive Point-and-Click UIs},
  author = {Langerak, Thomas and Christen, Sammy and Albaba, Mert and Gebhardt, Christoph and Holz, Christian and Hilliges, Otmar},
  booktitle = {Proc. ACM HCI},
  year = {2024},
}

UIST

Optimal control for electromagnetic haptic guidance systems

Thomas Langerak, Juan José Zárate, Velko Vechev, and 3 more authors

In Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, 2020

Bib Website

@inproceedings{langerak2020optimal,
  title = {Optimal control for electromagnetic haptic guidance systems},
  author = {Langerak, Thomas and Z{\'a}rate, Juan Jos{\'e} and Vechev, Velko and Lindlbauer, David and Panozzo, Daniele and Hilliges, Otmar},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology},
  pages = {951--965},
  year = {2020},
}

UIST

Omni: Volumetric sensing and actuation of passive magnetic tools for dynamic haptic feedback

Thomas Langerak*, Juan José Zárate*, David Lindlbauer, and 2 more authors

In Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, 2020

Bib Website

@inproceedings{langerak2020omni,
  title = {Omni: Volumetric sensing and actuation of passive magnetic tools for dynamic haptic feedback},
  author = {Langerak*, Thomas and Z{\'a}rate*, Juan Jos{\'e} and Lindlbauer, David and Holz, Christian and Hilliges, Otmar},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology},
  pages = {594--606},
  year = {2020},
}