Karey Helms

Karey Helms serves as an Associate Professor of Design at Umeå Institute of Design, Umeå University, while also holding a Postdoctoral Fellowship position at Stockholm University's Department of Computer and Systems Sciences. Helms is an active member of the Stockholm Technology & Interaction Research (STIR) group, which brings together technologists and social scientists to advance research in digital technologies within the Human-Computer Interaction field.

Helms' academic journey includes a BS in Architecture from the University of Virginia, an MFA in Interaction Design from Umeå Institute of Design, and a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction from KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, Helms now resides in Umeå, Sweden with a partner and two children.

As an interaction designer and researcher, Helms' work critically examines how technology can be designed differently amid global crises, drawing specifically on care ethics and posthuman feminist perspectives. The research program focuses on contexts where technology is conventionally considered inappropriate or 'out of place' - particularly outdoor environments and intimate care settings. This includes innovative exploration of 'living' materials, performative approaches, and ethical frameworks for design practice.

Currently, as a Digital Futures Postdoctoral Fellow, Helms leads the project 'Children and sustainability: Designing digital tools for collaborative survival' in collaboration with Airi Lampinen from Stockholm University and Meike Schalk from KTH School of Architecture. Helms' educational philosophy emphasizes student-led learning environments, critical thinking development, and learning-through-making approaches, reflecting the commitment to experiential education evident in the doctoral dissertation 'Designing with care'.