Ortega receives NSF CAREER award for multimodal interaction research

The National Science Foundation has awarded Dr. Francisco R. Ortega a CAREER grant to advance the science of multimodal and microgesture interaction. The five-year project investigates how small, low-effort hand movements — combined with speech and gaze — can drive augmented and virtual reality interfaces that feel natural and stay accessible.

CAREER awards are among NSF’s most competitive, recognizing early-career faculty who integrate outstanding research with education. A core thread of the project is undergraduate research: students from across Colorado State University will help design and run the interaction studies.

More detail on the research direction lives on the Research page.