Kentaro Toyama

Kentaro Toyama is the W.K. Kellogg Associate Professor of Community Information at the University of Michigan School of Information, and a fellow at the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT. His research focuses on the intersection of digital technology and social change, particularly emphasizing technology's role in socio-economic development and ethical implications. He is the author of *Geek Heresy: Rescuing Social Change from the Cult of Technology*, critiquing overreliance on technology for social solutions.

Prior to academia, Toyama co-founded Microsoft Research India and led the Technology for Emerging Markets group, known for projects like Digital Green and MultiPoint. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from Yale and a BA in Physics from Harvard. His work addresses global challenges in education, health, and technology equity, advocating for human-centered approaches over technological determinism.

Toyama has received awards including the David Marr Prize in computer vision and the ACM SIGCHI Societal Impact Award. His research explores critical race theory in HCI, maternal health interventions, and the Law of Amplification, which posits that technology amplifies existing human capacities and intentions, for better or worse.

He served as faculty director of the Master of Science in Information program and chairs university committees on diversity and governance. His current projects include studies on digital literacy for formerly incarcerated individuals and socio-technical support for Detroit entrepreneurs.