Dhruv Jain

Dhruv Jain is an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Michigan, with affiliations in the School of Information and Michigan Medicine. He leads the Soundability Lab, focusing on transforming hearing into a programmable interface through human-centered AI systems.

• PhD from University of Washington
• MS from MIT Media Lab
• Formerly worked at Microsoft Research, Google, and Apple

Research Interests intersect Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Audio AI, Accessibility, and Hearing Health. His work develops systems like SoundWatch (smartwatch-based sound awareness) and HomeSound (IoT sound visualization) to expand auditory access for DHH individuals and other domains.

Recent Publications (2023–2025) span top venues like CHI, ASSETS, and ICMI, with trends including generative AI for real-time captioning, adaptive soundscapes, and clinical communication tools.

• SIGCHI Outstanding Dissertation Award (2023)
• William Chan Memorial Dissertation Award (2023)
• Best Poster Award at ASSETS 2024
• Google Academic Research Award (2024)
• NIH Grant ($450k, 2023)
• William Demant Foundation Grant ($740k, 2025)

Teaching includes Accessible Computing (undergraduate) and Advanced Accessibility (graduate), alongside global DIY workshops in five countries. The Soundability Lab collaborates with neuroscientists, clinicians, and Deaf scholars to create deployable systems like clinical communication tools now at Michigan Medicine and features integrated into Apple devices.