Shen, who is the director of the Lab for Bioinstrumentation and Automation, has an extensive research agenda in automation, robotics, sensors and actuators, and tactile/haptic interfaces. He recently received a prestigious and highly competitive National Science Foundation CAREER award in the amount of $418,802 for his project entitled Adaptive Electro-Braille: A New Tactile Sensory Substitution and Assistive Technology for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Shen's work investigates a touch-sensitive device that is adaptable and convenient for use, is worn on the finger and features electronic scanning technology to scan a variety of topics, including Braille text.