Neha Kumar

Neha Kumar is an Associate Professor jointly appointed at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech. She directs the Tandem Lab and serves as ACM SIGCHI President and Chair of the ACM SIG Governing Board. Her research focuses on human-centered computing in global sustainable development, emphasizing marginalized communities in the Global South and feminist perspectives in technology design.

Dr. Kumar earned a PhD in Information Management Systems from UC Berkeley, Master's in Computer Science and Education from Stanford, and Bachelor's in Computer Science and Applied Math from UC Berkeley. Her work bridges HCI with global health, care infrastructures, and planetary sustainability, addressing ethical challenges in AI and digital mental health.

Her research has received multiple ACM Best Paper Awards, the NSF CAREER Award, and Lockheed teaching/research awards. She champions equity through initiatives like HCI Across Borders and Equity Talks@SIGCHI, fostering global collaboration in computing. The Tandem Lab collaborates with communities to design technologies for resource-constrained settings, such as MakerGhat in Mumbai.

Awards include the Lockheed Inspirational Young Faculty Award (2017), Lockheed Excellence in Teaching Award (2019), and NSF CAREER Award. Her leadership roles include former Chair of ACM Future of Computing Academy (ACM FCA) and organizer of X4D Talks series.

Her advising and grants include leading NSF-funded projects and mentoring Tandem Lab students advancing community-driven tech solutions. The lab's work spans telemedicine, menstrual health initiatives, and post-growth HCI frameworks.

Dr. Kumar's industry experience at Microsoft and non-profit Asha for Education informs her research. She explores intersections of care work, algorithmic transparency, and decolonizing technology practices through publications and community engagement.