Karon MacLean

Karon MacLean is a Professor of Computer Science and Director of the SPIN (Sensory Perception and Interaction Research Group) at the University of British Columbia. She joined UBC in 2000 after working at Interval Research Corp. in Palo Alto. Her research focuses on restoring physicality to human-computer interaction through haptic interfaces, multisensory interaction, and affective communication. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Stanford University and graduate degrees from MIT.

Her work emphasizes application-driven design, exploring haptic feedback in robotics, embedded systems, and healthcare contexts. Current projects include developing Calmer, a robotic device for preterm infant pain management, and CuddleBits, affective robot pets. She leads the SPIN Lab, which investigates haptic languages, low-power interfaces, and evaluation techniques for tangible computing.

Her academic contributions span over two decades, with key areas including physical user interfaces, parasitic power systems, and the integration of haptics into medical and everyday technologies. She advises students on HCI topics and collaborates internationally on projects that merge engineering, psychology, and design.