معرفی
Wendy Mackay is a Research Director at Inria, a French national research institute for digital science and technology. She has dedicated over twenty-five years to advancing the field of human-computer interaction, earning recognition as a leading expert in the domain.
Dr. Mackay's research vision centers on creating more intuitive and adaptive interfaces between humans and computers. She argues that current interfaces become chaotic when dealing with abundant information and are not well-suited to modern usage patterns. Her work aims to develop co-adaptive systems where both users and technology evolve together. The core principle guiding her research is to 'exploit the capabilities of computers while making them more consistent with the way human beings operate.' She seeks to separate data from applications themselves to create systems of interaction with shared data, giving greater freedom to users' creativity.
Dr. Mackay's work focuses on personalizing interactions so the same function can be used in different situations even when not provided for by the software. For example, enabling users to choose their favorite color selector and use it across any software application.
- ERC Advanced Grant (2012) for the CREATIV project (Creating Co-Adaptive Human-Computer Interfaces)
With her ERC funding, Dr. Mackay leads a research team comprising PhD students, postdocs, and senior researchers. Her work has significantly contributed to transforming how we interact with technology in creative domains and everyday computing. The CREATIV project represents 'risky research' that allows her to conduct work whose results are not guaranteed, enabling her to pursue a 'real project' without constant funding concerns.
Dr. Mackay's research has given greater visibility to the field of human-computer interaction in France and Europe, addressing fundamental challenges in how users express and explore their ideas through software.
