About Me

I am a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota where I direct a research program in data visualization, interactive computer graphics, and spatial user interfaces that we call the Interactive Visualization Lab (IV/LAB).

You can find an extended bio on my personal page at danielkeefe.net. ​

Are you a student interested in getting involved in research at the IV/LAB?

I am always interested in meeting enthusiastic and creative students, and I particularly encourage students from groups with longstanding underrepresentation in our discipline to talk to me about potential projects. I look for students who demonstrate commitment, creativity, communication skills (including visual communication), and courage. The best way to get involved depends upon your current status:

  Summer Students: Students from other universities, particularly those that do not offer many opportunities to explore CS research, can apply to join us for a summer research experience. To do this, you need to apply to our department's Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.

  Prospective Ph.D. and M.S. students:​ Students seeking a graduate degree in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota should follow the application instructions on our department's website. If you specify an interest in working with me in the application form and essay, then I guarantee I will review your application. If you or your current advisor would like to share some additional information that does not fit in your application, then please contact me via email. Please do not forward your application materials directly to me or email me just to inform me that you are applying or ask if I will be taking any new students this year.

  Current UMN students: Current UMN undergraduate and MS students who wish to work with me should take (and do really well in) a class with me. A great choice for undergraduate students is CSci-4611 Interactive Computer Graphics and Games, which I teach regularly. A great choice for MS students is CSci-5609 Visualization, also taught regularly. Please also read below to see answers to some frequently asked questions.

  When can/should i start?​ Learning to conduct research takes time, so it is best to start before your senior year. We sometimes have opportunities for 1 or 2 semester "student programmer" positions, but these are limited, and are too short to learn very much about research. We are most interested in students who can join a project and stick with it for at least 3 semesters (summers count as equal to a semester). That usually provides enough time to bring your own strengths to the project and turn it into a thesis and/or research publication.

  What is the time commitment? Undergraduate and MS student researchers ​must be able to commit at least 9 hours per week to your research work (similar to how you would treat any other 3-credit course), and you must be able to attend our regular all-lab meetings, which are on Friday mornings.

  What can I expect to work on? As a new student researcher, you should expect to be teamed up with more experienced lab members, typically PhD students, who will act as your mentors. Your first project in the lab will likely be working on one piece of a larger project that your mentors are also working on.

  Can I get course credit for research? Yes, almost always. With a little extra planning, research in the lab is often a great fit for Directed Research or Thesis Preparation courses.

  Can I get paid? Maybe, it depends on the project and available funding, or funding that you identify for yourself. For example, the university UROP program is a great source for some small funding. I highly recommend that each of my undergraduate students apply for this program, as it not only provides a stipend but may also be used to defer the costs of conference travel if a paper or presentation on your work is accepted.

Courses

I have taught the following courses at University of Minnesota. All of these are closely related to our research and great courses to take. Please visit the CS&E Department's list of course offerings by semester to see the most up-to-date information on when these courses will next be offered by whom. Also, look for other courses in the Graphics, Visualization, and VR area by searching for course numbers of the form: CSci-x6yy. "x" generally denotes the course level (1-4 for undergraduates, 5 or 8 for graduates) and "yy" is not too meaningful. The key is the "6"!

CSci-5609:  Visualization
Generally taught once per year, next in Spring 2023.
Example Syllabus (Spr '22)

CSci-4611:  Programming Interactive Computer Graphics and Games
Generally taught once each semester.
Example Syllabus (Fall '21)

CSci-8001/8002: Introduction to Research in Computer Science
Example Syllabus (2021-22)

CSci-3081W:  Program Design and Development
Example Syllabus (Fall '18)

CSci-8980:  Advanced Special Topics
Data Vis for Advocacy and Empowerment (Spr '21)
Sketch-Based User Interfaces and 3D Modeling (Fall '15)
Spatial User Interfaces (Fall '13)
Spatial Graphical Interfaces and Computational Creativity (Fall '11)

HSEM-2520H: Data Visualization and Virtual Reality for Social Justice
Honors Seminar (Fall '17)

CSci-5619:  Virtual Reality and 3D Interaction
Derived in part from special topics courses listed below.

CSci-5607:  Fundamentals of Computer Graphics I

Contact

Email: dfk@umn.edu (preferred)
Phone: 612-626-7508
Mailing Address: 4-192 Keller Hall, 200 Union St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
Office: 6-211 Keller Hall
Lab: 2-203 Keller Hall