Lace Padilla

Education

• PhD in Cognitive and Neural Sciences, University of Utah 
• MS in Cognitive and Neural Sciences, University of Utah 
• MFA in Design, University of Utah 
• BFA in Multimedia, Pacific Northwest College of Art 

Biography

Lace Padilla is an assistant professor in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences and the College of Science at Northeastern University, based in Boston and Oakland.

With a background in cognitive and neural sciences, Padilla uses evidence-based data visualization techniques to accurately convey uncertainty, helping people to make informed decisions about high-stakes topics like medical treatments and emergency evacuations. Her work evaluates the impact of basic cognitive mechanisms like working memory, attention, perception, and knowledge on how people process data visualizations, as well as the impact of marginalizing factors like low literacy on visualization comprehension. Padilla collaborates with domain experts to develop more effective scientific communication techniques, and she also developed the only visualization decision-making model that integrates modern theories from visualization science, cognitive science, and human–computer interaction. Her publication record includes more than 25 peer-reviewed publications, a government report, two book chapters, an edited book, and seven peer-reviewed conference proceedings, plus honors including an NSF CAREER Award, an IEEE VIS Best Paper Award, and an APA Early Career Award. 

Padilla joined Khoury College in 2023, attracted by the opportunity to work with the Visualization Group, which she describes as the world’s most vibrant hub for data visualization research. She is eager to explore cutting-edge data visualization techniques and applications with like-minded experts, push the field further, and help her students to become educated information consumers and ethical information producers. 

When she isn’t visualizing data, Padilla fills her life with another type of visuals; she’s a trained oil painter and an art collector. 

When she isn’t visualizing data, Padilla fills her life with another type of visuals; she’s a trained oil painter and an art collector. 

Recent publications