Crystal Lee

Crytal Lee is an Assistant Professor in Computational Media and Design at MIT, with a joint appointment in the Schwarzman College of Computing and Comparative Media Studies/Writing. She is also a Faculty Associate at Harvard's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, co-leading the Ethical Tech Working Group, and a Senior Fellow at Mozilla's Responsible Computing Challenge. Her research focuses on data visualization, disability studies, and ethical technology, emphasizing the 'life-cycle of data representations.'

Education: PhD in History, Anthropology, Science, Technology, and Society from MIT (2022); MA and BA (High Honors) in History of Science from Stanford University (2016 and 2015).

Research Interests: Crystal examines how data is curated, visualized, and contested, with a particular lens on disability justice and accessible design. Her work bridges STS, HCI, and critical data studies, addressing issues like misinformation, algorithmic bias, and inclusive technology.

Awards & Grants: Honorable Mentions at EuroVis 2022 and CHI 2021; NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant; SSRC Social Data Fellowship.

Advising & Mentorship: Advised projects on accessible visualization, participatory AI, and disability inclusion. Current book project: Crip Computation.

Labs & Teams: Co-leads Ethical Tech Working Group at Berkman Klein; involved in MIT's Data + Feminism Lab and Accessible Interactions projects.