Keith Vertanen

Keith Vertanen is the Dave House Associate Professor of Computer Science at Michigan Technological University's College of Computing. His research focuses on designing intelligent interactive systems leveraging uncertain input technologies, particularly enhancing capabilities for users with disabilities. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge (2009) and has held academic positions at Montana Tech and Princeton University.

Education:

• PhD, University of Cambridge, 2009
• MPhil, Computer Speech, Text & Internet Technology, University of Cambridge, 2004
• MS, Computer Science, Oregon State University, 1999
• BA, Computer Science & Mathematics, University of Minnesota Morris, 1997

Research Interests:

Dr. Vertanen specializes in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), accessible computing, and mobile interfaces. His work emphasizes systems that assist users with permanent/situationally-induced disabilities. Notable areas include:
- Text entry systems for AR/VR environments
- Speech and gesture-based input methods
- Error correction interfaces for assistive technologies
- Crowdsourcing for language model improvement

Grants & Awards:

• NSF CAREER Award ($539K, 2018)
• Google Faculty Research Award ($47K, 2016)
• CHI Best Paper (2015), ETRA Honorable Mention (2012)

Recent Projects:

Lead PI on NSF grants totaling $725K for:
- Rich Surface Interaction for Augmented Environments ($499K)
- Improving Mobile Input for Blind/Low Vision Users ($226K)

Labs & Teams:

Member of Michigan Tech's Institute of Computing and Cybersystems (ICC) Human-Centered Computing Center. Collaborates on projects involving multimodal interaction, AR/VR interfaces, and accessibility solutions.