Jacob Thebault-Spieker

Jacob Thebault-Spieker is an Assistant Professor in the Information School at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, affiliated with the Department of Computer Science. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota (2017) and dual BA degrees in Computer Science and Spanish from the University of Minnesota-Morris (2011). His research focuses on systemic information gaps in user-generated platforms and gig work systems, addressing geographic, political, and demographic biases through computational interventions and participatory design.

• Affiliations: Collaborative Computing Group (Co-Director since 2021)
• Key roles: NSF-funded grants on road safety conditions and broadband impacts; PI on projects exploring diversity science and ratings bias

Research interests span HCI, crowd work, spatial computing, and digital equity. Notable work includes analyzing geographic disparities in OpenStreetMap, Uber/TaskRabbit, and Wikipedia's multilingual conflict documentation. Recent projects investigate mitigating political bias in content moderation and understanding migration's spatial impact through mental maps. Jacob has mentored over a dozen students in research, emphasizing scalable solutions for information equity.

Publications highlight innovative methods like PairWise (content moderation bias mitigation) and GroundTruth (image geolocation systems). Awards include Best Demo at HCOMP 2019 and CHI review excellence recognition. He teaches courses in HCI and the Information Society, integrating pedagogical innovation with research.