Amanda Lazar

Amanda Lazar is an Associate Professor affiliated with the Department of Computer Science and the College of Information Studies (iSchool) at the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on technologies designed for health and wellbeing, particularly exploring how aging populations interact with emerging technologies. She holds a PhD in Biomedical and Health Informatics from the University of Washington (2015) and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of California San Diego (2011).

Dr. Lazar’s research interests center on inclusive design for aging populations, including work on voice assistants, activity tracking systems, and assistive technologies for people with dementia. She leads projects like the NSF CAREER award-funded initiative on remote collaboration design and contributes to the TRACE RERC (Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center) focusing on technology access for people with disabilities.

Her recent work examines challenges in designing for older adults, including sensory changes affecting technology use, ethical implications of AI interfaces, and participatory design methodologies. Key outputs include studies on voice assistant personalization, activity tracking systems with older adults, and the role of makerspaces in empowering aging populations.

Dr. Lazar is actively involved in research centers such as the Human-Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL) and the Maryland Initiative for Digital Accessibility (MIDA). She has contributed to over 50 peer-reviewed publications since 2017, addressing topics ranging from dementia-friendly technology to the sociotechnical impacts of extended reality (XR) systems.