Ming Tang
Professor
Director of Extended Reality Lab. Professor.
Aronoff Center
7215
DAAP School of Arch & Interior Design - 0016
Professional Summary
Ming Tang is a Full Professor at the University of Cincinnati’s School of Architecture and Interior Design and the Director of UC’s eXtended Reality (XR) Lab. As a tenured professor within the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, he merges his architecture and digital technology expertise to push the boundaries of Architecture, engineering, construction (AEC), and simulated virtual environments. Tang’s professional qualifications include being a registered architect, NCARB, and LEED AP. His leadership roles extend to the Institute for Research in Sensing (IRiS) leadership committee.
His research centers on integrating extended reality technologies within the AEC sector, including virtual and augmented reality, digital twins, artificial intelligence, large language models, and machine learning. He is recognized for his expertise in the metaverse, game-based learning, computational design, digital fabrication, and generative, performance-driven design. His work also spans digital human modeling and behavior simulation, contributing to immersive environments and human-computer interaction. Tang’s academic excellence is evident in securing $2.2 million in external funding, authorship of three books, publication of 70 peer-reviewed papers, and receipt of 41 prestigious awards.
Before his tenure at the University of Cincinnati, Tang held several positions, including the Director of the Electronic Design program and a professorship in the Architecture Department at Savannah College of Art and Design. His diverse working experience includes the MIND Lab at Michigan State University, the Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California, and the China Architecture Design & Research Group.
Tang’s educational background is as varied as his professional experience. He holds a Master of Architecture Degree from Tsinghua University, a Master of Arts in Digital Media and Technology from Michigan State University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Interactive and Game Design from Savannah College of Art and Design. Additionally, he is a founding partner of TYA Design.
Research and Practice Interests
Virtual reality & Augmented reality, artificial Intelligence, Digital twins, Game-based learning, Metaverse, Computational design, Digital fabrication, Generative and performance-driven design, Digital human, Human behavior analysis and simulation.
Research Support
Grant: #URS AHHS and IR Advancement Grants AY 2017-2018 Investigators:Tang, Ming 07-01-2017 -12-31-2019 UC Magic School Bus for Computational Cell Role:PI $8,550.00 Completed Type:Grant
Grant: #32391 / FHWA E180658 Investigators:Ma, Jiaqi; Tang, Ming; Wang, Jialiang 08-24-2018 -02-24-2019 Federal Highway Administration Evaluate Opportunities to Provide Training Simulation for ODOT Snow and Ice Drivers Role:Collaborator $39,791.70 Completed
Grant: #K62232 Investigators:Ming Tang 09-01-2019 -12-30-2019 Ihsan Ihsan Community Center Sponsored Studio Role:PI $5,000 Completed Type:Contract
Grant: #32391 Investigators: PI: John Ash. Co-PI: Ming Tang, Julian Wang. 02-2019 -02-2022 Ohio Department of Transportation. Evaluate Opportunities to Provide Training Simulation for ODOT Snow and Ice Drivers”. Phase 2. Role:Co-PI $952,938 Active Type:Grant Level:State
Investigators:PI: Jiaqi Ma, Co-PI: Ming Tang. 06-01-2019 -12-01-2020 UC Paving the way for vehicle highway automation: An integrated simulation-centered testing platform Role:co-PI $70,000 Active Type:Grant Level:University
Investigators:Ed Latessa,J.C. Barnes, Ming Tang, Cory Haberman, Dan Gerard,Tim Sabransky. 10-01-2019 UC Digital Futures Development of a Virtual Reality Augmented Violence Reduction Training System for Active and Mass Shooting incidents. Role:co-PI $10,000 Active Type:Grant Level:University
Grant: #Exhibit A_Project 1 under the Master Agreement Investigators:Tang, Ming 05-15-2020 -05-14-2021 Cincinnati Insurance Company CIC - Geospatial Imagery Analytics Research Project: Phase 1 Role:PI $59,000.00 Completed
Grant: #2017-JG-A02-V6351 Investigators:Barnes, J C; Tang, Ming 04-01-2020 -03-31-2021 Department of Justice Virtual Reality Training for Ohio Law Enforcement Role:Collaborator $50,000.00 Awarded Level:Federal
Grant: #SES-2026594 Investigators:Bhiwapurkar, Pravin; Black, Ann; Fry, Michael; Harfmann, Anton; Linders, Annulla; Nassif, Nabil; Rebola, Claudia; Tang, Ming; Wendell, David 01-01-2021 -12-31-2021 National Science Foundation Future of Work: Understanding the interrelationships between humans and technology to improve the quality of work life in smart buildings. Role:Collaborator $149,720.00 Awarded Level:Federal
Grant: #G402236 Investigators:Ming Tang 10-01-2021 -08-01-2022 Cincinnati Insurance Companies Geospatial Imagery Analytics Research. Phase II. Role:PI $79,980 Active Type:Grant Level:Local
Investigators:PI: John Ash. Co-PI: Ming Tang, Julian Wang. 02-2020 -02-2022 Ohio Department of Transportation. Assess the effectiveness of Type 2 and Type 3 safety vests for day and night use-Phase. Role:Co-PI $337,366.31 Active Type:Grant
Grant: #2017-JG-A02-V6351 Investigators:Barnes, J C; Tang, Ming 04-01-2020 -03-31-2021 Department of Justice Virtual Reality Training for Ohio Law Enforcement Role:Collaborator $50,000.00 Active Level:Federal
Investigators:Ming Tang 03-2021 -03-2022 UC Urban Health Pathway Seed Grant Assess the effectiveness of using Virtual Reality for caregiver training. Partner. Council of Ageing, LiveWell Collaborative. Role:PI $19,844. Active Type:Grant
Investigators:Tang, Ming 07-01-2021 -06-30-2022 Cincinnati Insurance Company Geospatial Imagery Analytics Research Project: Phase II Role:PI 79905.97 Awarded Level:Industry
Investigators:Tang, Ming 06-01-2022 -05-31-2023 Cincinnati Insurance Company Geospatial Imagery Analytics Research Project: Phase III Role:PI 15709.00 Hold Level:Industry
Investigators:Tang, Ming 01-01-2023 -12-31-2023 Cincinnati Insurance Company CIC - Geospatial Imagery Analytics Research Project: Phase 4 Role:PI 48646.35 Awarded Level:Industry
Investigators:Lorenz, Tamara; Tang, Ming 01-01-2023 -12-31-2023 MME Industry 4.0/5.0 Institute Project 2 VR - Immersive vs. Traditional Training - a comparison of training modalities (backdoor) / Internal Role:Collaborator 40000.00 Hold Level:UC's Internal Funds
Investigators:Morehouse, Nathan; Tang, Ming; White, Ryan 08-01-2023 -05-31-2024 Procter & Gamble Digital Accelerator at UC P&G Digital Accelerator at UC: IRIS Institute for Research in Sensing Role:Collaborator 16000.00 Hold Level:Industry
Investigators:Collins, Christina; Tang, Ming; VanBergen, Noah 04-10-2023 -07-31-2023 Kao Brands, Company KAO-GLOW Creating the Kao Glowverse Role:Collaborator 52122.60 Hold Level:Industry
Investigators:Anand, Sam; Tang, Ming 02-01-2024 -12-31-2024 MME Industry 4.0/5.0 Institute MME I45I: IIOT for legacy and smart factory machines with AR and LLM feedback with a Digital Twin demonstration of real-time IOT for architecture/building applications using Omniverse Role:Collaborator 40000.00 Awarded Level:Industry
Investigators:Tang, Ming 10-30-2023 -12-28-2024 Cincinnati Insurance Company CIC - Geospatial Imagery Analytics Research Project: Phase 5 Role:PI 72350 Active
Investigators:Tang, Ming 03-01-2024 -12-30-2024 Procter & Gamble Digital Accelerator at UC Leveraging Metaverse Platforms for Enhanced Global Professional Networking_Phase 1 Role:PI 32000
Grant: #GRO Tang Investigators:Tang, Ming 08-15-2024 -08-15-2025 GRO Community (God.Restoring.Order) Simulated Youth Firearms; Virtual Reality Training on Youth Firearms Possession Role:PI 20000
Investigators:Tang, Ming 12-01-2024 -05-31-2025 Procter & Gamble Digital Accelerator at UC P&G Digital Accelerator @UC: VISM Virtual Interactive Simulation for Material Customization Phase 1 Role:PI 28350.97 Hold Level:Industry
Investigators:Jiang, Tianyu; Tang, Ming 04-01-2024 -12-31-2024 Siemens Corporation Minimal Data Needs for GenAI Design Role:PI 24906.73 Hold Level:Industry
Investigators:Tang, Ming 09-01-2024 -12-30-2025 Cincinnati Insurance Company Geospatial Imagery Analytics Research Project: Phase 6 Role:PI 125664.98 Active Type:Grant
Publications
Peer Reviewed Publications
Tang, Ming (2009. ) City generator: GIS driven genetic evolution in urban simulation .Perkins+ Will Research Journal, , 3 (2 ) ,42-49
Anderson, Jonathon; Tang, Ming (2010. ) Interactive Information Model for Digital Fabricator .Perkins+ Will Research Journal, , 3 (2 ) ,42-49
Tang, Ming; Anderson, Jonathon (2010. ) Mathematically Driven Forms and Digital Tectonic: A formula for realizing the digital .Perkins+ Will Research Journal, , 3 (2 ) ,42-49
Anderson, Jonathon; Ming, Tang (2011. ) Form follows parameters: Parametric modeling for fabrication and manufacturing processes .Perkins+ Will Research Journal, , 3 (2 ) ,42-49
Tang, Ming; Anderson, Jonathon (2011. ) Information Urbanism: Parametric urbanism in junction with GIS data processing & fabrication .ARCC Conference Repository, , 0 (0 ) ,15-28
Tang, M.; Aksamija, A.; Hodge, M.; Anderson, J. (2011. ) Performance-Driven Design and Prototyping: Design Computation and Fabrication .Perkins+ Will Research Journal, , 3 (2 ) ,42-49
Ming, Tang; Aksamija, Ajla; Hodge, Mike; Anderson, Jonathon (2012. ) Data Driven Transmutation: an Investigation of Performance Based Design and Adaptive System .AIA Forward Journal, , 12 (1 ) ,81-86
Tang, M.; Anderson, J.; Aksamija, A.; Hodge, M. (2012. ) Performance-Based Generative Design, An investigation of the Parametric Nature of Architecture .Enquiry: A Journal for Architectural Research, , 9 (1 ) ,81-86
Tang, Ming; Anderson, Jonathon; Aksamija, Ajla; Hodge, Michael (2012. ) Performative Computation-aided Design Optimization .Enquiry: A Journal for Architectural Research, , 9 (1 ) ,81-86
Aksamija, Ajla; Snapp, Todd; Hodge, Mike; Tang, Ming (2012. ) Re-Skinning: Performance-Based Design and Fabrication of Building Facade Components: Design Computing, Analytics and Prototyping .Perkins+ Will Research Journal, , 4 (1 ) ,15-28
Tang, Ming (2013. ) dFORM. digital fabrication of responsive materials .International Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Construction, , 4 (4 ) ,81-86
Aksamija, Ajla; Tang, Ming; Hodge, Mike; Anderson, Jonathon (2013. ) Performative Computation-Aided Design Optimization .Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC) Journal, , 9 (1 ) ,81-86
Anderson, Jonathon; Tang, Ming (2014. ) Crafting Soft Geometry: Form and Materials Informing Analog and Digital Craft Processes .International Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Construction, , 4 (4 ) ,81-86
Tang, Ming; Klimesh, Colin (2014. ) Integrated work of MAN and MACHINE: digital craft as design agent .International Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Construction, , 4 (4 ) ,81-86
Tang, Ming (2014. ) Parametric Building Design Using Autodesk Maya .International Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Construction, , 4 (4 ) ,81-86
Marcu, Mara; Tang, Ming (2015. ) Data Mapping and Ornament in Digital Craft .International Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Construction, , 4 (4 ) ,81-86
Tang, Ming; Marcu, Mara (2015. ) Physics Simulation and Form Seeking in Architecture Design Education .International Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Construction, , 4 (4 ) ,124-144
Tang, Ming (2015. ) Self-organizing City: Experiments Using Multi-agent Model and Space Syntax .International Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Construction, , 4 (4 ) ,81-86
Tang, Ming (2016. ) Data-driven landscape .Urban Rail Transit, , 3 (1 ) ,124-144
Tang, Ming; Hu, Yingdong (2017. ) Pedestrian Simulation in Transit Stations Using Agent-Based Analysis .Urban Rail Transit, , 3 (1 ) ,54-60
Tang, Ming (2018. ) From Agent to Avatar - Integrate Avatar and Agent Simulation in the Virtual Reality for Wayfinding .
(2023. ) Cory P. Haberman, Ming Tang, JC Barnes, Clay Driscoll, Bradley J. O’Guinn, Calvin Proffit,. The Effect of Checklists on Evidence Collection During Initial Investigations A Randomized Controlled Trial in Virtual Reality. Journal of Experimental Criminology. 11.2023 .
(2022. ) Tang, M. Adebisib, A. Using Eye-Tracking for Traffic Control Signage Design at Highway Work Zone. Interdisciplinary Journal of Signage and Wayfinding. Vol. 6, No. 2. 2022 .
(2021. ) Tang.M. Shroyer.N, Cast-in-place Freeform Concrete with Big Area AdditiveManufacturing Formwork. International Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Construction Vol 10, No 2, June 2021, 12021005, 1-9. .
(2021. ) Tang. M. Visual Perception: Eye-tracking and Real-timeWalkthroughs in Architectural Design. International Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Construction. Vol 10, No 1, March 2021, 12021001,1-9.
(2020. ) Tang. M. Analysis of Signage using Eye-Tracking Technology. Interdisciplinary Journal of Signage and Wayfinding. 02. 2020.
(2024. ) Mikhail Nikolaenko, Ming Tang. SpaceXR: Virtual Reality and Data Mining for Astronomical Visualization. 26th Human Computer Interaction International Conference Proceeding Book. Washington DC, USA. 29 June – 4 July 2024. Springer. .
(2023. ) Cory P. Haberman, Ming Tang, JC Barnes, Clay Driscoll, Bradley J. O’Guinn, Calvin Proffit,. Using Virtual Reality Simulations to Study Initial Burglary Investigations. American Society of Evidence-Based Policing’s 2023 Conference. 05.2023. Las Vegas. Nevada. .
(2023. ) Raman, M., Tang, M. 3D Visualization Development of Urban Environments for Simulated Driving Training and VR Development in Transportation Systems. ASCE ICTD 2023 Conference. Austin. TX. 06. 2023 .
Ming Tang, Mikhail Nikolaenko, Evv Boerwinkle, Samuel Obafisoye, Aayush Kumar, Mohsen Rezayat, Sven Lehmann & Tamara Lorenz (2024. ) Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Traditional Training vs. Immersive Training.XR Salento 2024, , More Information
Tang, Ming, Jai’La Nored, Matt Anthony, Judy Eschmann, Jennifer Williams, and Linda Dunseath (2024. ) VR-based Empathy Experience for Nonprofessional Caregiver Training.XR Salento 2024, ,
More InformationPublished Books
Ming Tang (2014. ) Parametric Building Design with Autodesk Maya .Routledge (Author)
Keywords
Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Extended Reality, digital twin, metaverse, game-based learning, Digital Human, AI, visualization, eye-tracking,