Hung Cao, Zhou Li Awarded PoP Grants

July 6, 2026 - UC Irvine engineering faculty members Hung Cao and Zhou Li have received spring 2026 Proof of Product (PoP) grants from UCI Beall Applied Innovation.

The PoP grants help provide significant funding for promising research projects in order to enhance their appeal to the industry and future investors. Awardees can receive up to $100,000 in funding, which can be used to help execute activities that will enable various phases of development, such as feasibility studies, prototype development and customer discovery efforts.

Hung Cao, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, is working to develop a generative artificial intelligence (AI) system that would be able to create electrocardiogram (ECG) signals in real-time from everyday video footage. The development would allow multiple individuals to have access to a non-contact form of cardio monitoring.

Zhou Li, also an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, is creating a cost-efficient, AI-driven threat security system. This type of system would help organizations accurately discover and identify cyber security threats while also reducing computational costs.

— Grace Hefner