Airi Lampinen is an Associate Professor in Human-Computer Interaction at the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences , Stockholm University , where she co-leads the Stockholm Technology & Interaction Research (STIR) group. She also holds a Docent title in Social Psychology at the University of Helsinki and is a faculty member of the cross-disciplinary Digital Futures research center. Teaching: Design & Information Society course (Masters program) Supervision: Bachelors/Masters theses in HCI/CSCW Her research focuses on interpersonal and economic aspects of networked platforms , including gig work dynamics in the Global South, ethical considerations in autonomous systems, and the role of intimacy in digital technologies. Current projects include the Swedish Research Council (VR) funded Shared Uses of Intimate Technology and WASP-HS project Ethics as Enacted Through Movement . Key themes across her publications include: Platform-mediated labor relations Ethics in algorithmic systems Intimate technology use cases Care practices in digital contexts Account sharing dynamics Community-led technological initiatives Contact: airi@dsv.su.se , airi@iki.fi
Abigail C. Durrant is Professor of Interaction Design and Co-Director of Open Lab at Newcastle University's School of Computing. She serves as Co-Director for the EPSRC-funded Centre for Digital Citizens (CDC) and NortHFutures Digital Health Hub, and leads the Digital Health Theme for the N8 Centre of Excellence in Computationally Intensive Research. Durrant also sits on the Directorate for Newcastle University Centre of Research Excellence for Children and Youth, demonstrating her cross-institutional leadership in digital research initiatives. Her research program addresses critical design challenges in managing health and wellbeing through digital technologies, AI, and data systems. Durrant has extensively explored the digital representation of Self across multiple contexts including health and care, family relationships, children's play and creativity, major life transitions, memorialization, cultural visiting, media consumption, and personal identity management. Her work is grounded in participatory, co-creative and research-through-design approaches that prioritize collaboration with key stakeholders to define and conduct research that addresses real-world problems, particularly focusing on vulnerable populations and health equity issues. Durrant's recent publications reveal a strong trajectory in designing for trusted sharing of personal health data, with particular emphasis on HIV care contexts as evidenced by her 2024 AIDS Care publication. Her research consistently bridges Human-Computer Interaction with healthcare applications, focusing on privacy, security, and ethical considerations in digital health technologies. The temporal dimension of design research emerges as a consistent theme across her work, examining how design artifacts function over time and how they support or disrupt user experiences in long-term contexts. Leverhulme Early Career Fellow Professor Durrant actively supervises undergraduate, postgraduate taught, and postgraduate research students while teaching Interaction Design on the MSc course in HCI through Open Lab. She has led significant research projects including NortHFutures (a cross-sector consortium for responsibly designed health-tech), EPSRC INTUIT (focused on trusted sharing of personal health data for HIV care), EPSRC Playing Out with IoT (children's free play with Internet of Things), and EPSRC Digital Personhood. Her service contributions include membership on the Steering Committee for the Research Through Design Conference series and active engagement in academic service roles within HCI and Design Research fields. Durrant co-leads Open Lab, a research center specializing in Human-Computer Interaction that works closely with communities, industry, and public sector organizations to develop innovative digital solutions. Her NortHFutures initiative brings together 8 universities, health and care providers, and community organizations to address digital exclusion in the North East and North Cumbria region. She is also actively involved with the EPSRC Centre for Digital Citizens, focusing on how digital technologies impact citizenship and civic engagement.
Kyle Rector is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Iowa, specializing in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Accessibility . Her research focuses on developing technologies to enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities across age groups, particularly targeting visual impairments and pain management in older adults. University : University of Iowa Department : Computer Science Academic Rank : Assistant Professor Her work spans assistive technologies , virtual reality , and voice assistant systems , emphasizing inclusive design for diverse populations including neurodivergent children and aging adults. Recent projects explore augmented reality overlays , sensor mat systems , and interactive audio interfaces for accessibility. Article Trends : Kyle's recent publications (2024-2020) focus on augmented reality for pedestrian safety , voice agent design for neurodivergent families , and accessibility in virtual reality/art description . Her research also addresses pain self-management through voice assistants and exercise technologies for visually impaired individuals. Contact : kyle-rector@uiowa.edu Personal Website
Erik Wolf is a research associate at the University of Hamburg's Department of Informatics, specializing in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Extended Reality (XR) technologies. His work focuses on optimizing presence in virtual environments through studies of plausibility , co-presence , and place illusion , particularly in the Horizon Europe project 'PRESENCE'. Prior to this role, he completed his PhD at the University of Würzburg, investigating Individual-, System-, and Application-Related Factors Influencing the Perception of Virtual Humans in Virtual Environments . Education : Bachelor's and Master's in Human-Computer Interaction from the University of Würzburg Visiting researcher at University of Queensland's Cognitive Engineering Research Group (2016-2017) Research Interests : XR User Experience Virtual Human Perception Body Awareness & Self-Identification in VR Digital Health Applications Presence & Immersion Scientific Contributions : Developed validated scales for virtual human plausibility Explored avatar personalization effects on body perception Investigated multimodal interaction frameworks Created tools for intelligent virtual humans development His work has been recognized with multiple awards including the DIVR Science Award 2019 and multiple Best Paper distinctions. He serves as a reviewer for leading conferences including IEEE VR, ACM CHI, and IEEE ISMAR.
Tuhin Chakrabarty is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Stony Brook University. His research focuses on developing AI systems that address implicature, ambiguity, and human-aligned requirements, with applications in natural language processing and human-AI collaboration. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science from Columbia University Research Interests: Tuhin explores methods to enhance AI reliability through Long Form Text Generation Evaluation, Benchmarks for Reasoning and Explainability, and Human-AI Collaboration frameworks. His work bridges computational linguistics, machine learning, and creative applications of AI. Scientific Awards: Columbia Center of Artificial Intelligence & Technology (CAIT) Research Support Amazon Science Ph.D. Fellowship Computational Journalism Fellow at NYTimes R&D (2021-2022) Publications Trends: His recent work spans AI safety, creativity support, figurative language understanding, and multimodal systems. Key themes include human-AI alignment, ethical considerations, and empirical studies on generative models. Additional Contributions: Tuhin collaborates with Stony Brook’s Institute for AI-Driven Discovery and Innovation, advancing interdisciplinary research in AI applications.
Linqi Lu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of North Dakota. She holds her position in the College of Arts and Sciences, specializing in interdisciplinary research that bridges communication, computer science, and psychology. Her work focuses on multimodal framing, emerging AI technologies, and communication's critical role in advancing public health, social justice, and public safety. Ph.D. in Communication with minors in Computer Science and Educational Psychology University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2025 Dr. Lu's research interests span Human-AI Communication, Health Persuasion, Computational Social Science, Multimodal Framing, and Human-Computer Interaction. Her work demonstrates a strong interdisciplinary approach, connecting communication theory with practical applications in health technology and AI. She teaches courses including Risk and Crisis Communication (COMM 451) and Principles of Professional Communication (COMM 516). Her publication record shows a consistent trajectory of impactful research since 2020, with significant growth in 2022-2025. Her work primarily appears in high-impact health communication journals, with increasing focus on AI applications in communication research. Notably, she has published several 2025 articles exploring cutting-edge topics like multimodal LLaVA chatbots, visual framing in social protests, and advanced AI applications for content analysis. Through her Google Scholar profile, she has accumulated 247 citations with an h-index of 7 and i10-index of 6, indicating solid scholarly impact in her field. Dr. Lu frequently collaborates with researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, including prominent scholars like Douglas McLeod and Dhavan Shah. Her research demonstrates strong connections between communication theory and practical applications in public health crises, particularly during the pandemic. She has secured research funding for projects related to health communication, risk perception, and digital interventions, though specific grant details aren't provided in the source material. Her work with interdisciplinary teams demonstrates her ability to bridge communication theory with computer science applications, particularly in developing AI tools for health communication research and interventions.
Martin Feick is a Researcher at the Institute for Information Systems (WIN) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), where he leads the Adaptive Immersion & Embodied AI research team. His work focuses on Human-Computer Interaction , Extended Reality , and Embodied AI systems bridging virtual avatars and robotics. Doctoral degree in Computer Science (2020-2025) from Saarland University Researcher at German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) (2019-2024) M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Computer Science from HTW Saar His research explores: Virtual Reality user perception Haptic feedback systems (via his VoxelHap toolkit) Avatar embodiment in qualitative research AI-robot integration for human-centric applications
Radoslaw Niewiadomski is a Researcher at the Department of Computer Science, Bioengineering, Robotics, and Systems Engineering (DIBRIS) within the Polytechnic School of the University of Genoa, Italy. He teaches Affective Computing for the Master's Degree Program in Digital Humanities - Interactive Systems and Digital Media and Fundamentals of Computer Science for the Bachelor's Degree Course in Computer Engineering. His research spans Affective Computing, Human-Computer Interaction, and Social Robotics, with specific focus on nonverbal communication, embodied interaction, sonification techniques, and facial expression recognition. He employs machine learning and computer vision to develop systems that interpret human affect and social behavior in collaborative contexts, often integrating psychology and engineering principles for socially embodied applications. Analysis of his 2024 publications reveals strong interdisciplinary trends bridging robotics, emotion recognition, and human-centered design. Key research threads include social robotics applications for dining companionship and full-body improvisation, technical innovations in unsupervised learning for vitality forms, and dataset development for expression intensity analysis. His work consistently addresses real-world social interaction challenges through multimodal sensing and interactive system design. No scientific awards were mentioned in the provided documentation. No information regarding student advising relationships or research grant funding was provided in the source materials.
David C. Gross serves as a Teaching Professor in the Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering at Florida State University's Panama City campus, specializing in model-based systems engineering, digital engineering, and human-computer interaction with emphasis on virtual environments and naval/aerospace systems. His industry leadership at Boeing and Lockheed Martin includes roles as Chief Technologist for Modeling & Simulation and Deputy Chief Engineer for simulation labs. Dr. Gross holds a PhD in Systems and Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida, an MS in Operations Research from the University of Alabama at Huntsville, and a BS in Computer Science from Auburn University. His research bridges theoretical frameworks with practical applications in power distribution systems for naval vessels, CubeSat-based space situational awareness, and affordance theory in virtual environments. His scholarly output demonstrates consistent innovation in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methodologies across defense and aerospace domains. Recent work focuses on functional architecture baselining for power electronic systems, parameter optimization in naval design, and space situational awareness visualization. Cross-cutting themes include semantic interoperability, fidelity measurement, and human factors integration in complex systems engineering. Dr. Gross has been awarded the NASA Faculty Fellowship for his contributions to aerospace research. His industry impact includes leading $1B+ technical innovations and influencing over $3B in business opportunities through systems engineering leadership at major defense contractors. His academic work is deeply informed by two decades of industry experience where he pioneered modeling and simulation standards through organizations like the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO). Current research directions include sustainable transportation planning and MBSE applications for emerging energy systems, building on his foundational work in affordance-based virtual environment design.
Matthew Lease is a Professor at the School of Information, University of Texas at Austin, where he serves as Director of Doctoral Studies and Assistant Graduate Advisor. He is a Distinguished Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), a Senior Member of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), and an Amazon Scholar. Lease co-directs the $20M NSF-Simons AI Institute for Cosmic Origins (CosmicAI) and is a faculty founder and leader of UT's Good Systems, an eight-year, $20M university-wide Grand Challenge aimed at designing responsible AI technologies. In 2023-2024, he was invited four times to address the Texas Legislature on responsible AI. Ph.D. Computer Science, Brown University, 2010 M.Sc. Computer Science, Brown University, 2004 B.Sc. Computer Science, University of Washington, 1999 Lease directs the UT Austin Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Human-Centered Computing (AI&HCC), where his research spans artificial intelligence modeling and human-computer interaction design. His work focuses on creating novel datasets, building AI models, and evaluating both model performance and their impact on end-users. When automated AI falls short, his team designs human-in-the-loop approaches, leveraging AI model explanations and creative user interfaces. To promote fair AI, they focus on better annotation techniques to avoid bias and develop modeling strategies to mitigate dataset biases. Their work tackles real-world problems as part of UT Austin's Good Systems Grand Challenge, with an ongoing emphasis on content moderation—exploring automated, human-in-the-loop, and human-safe practices to combat disinformation, hate speech, and online polarization. Lease's recent publications (2021-2024) demonstrate a strong focus on human-centered AI, particularly in the areas of fair and explainable AI, content moderation, fact-checking, and crowdsourcing. His research integrates technical AI development with human factors considerations, emphasizing the importance of designing AI systems that work effectively with human users. The publications reveal a consistent theme of addressing bias in AI systems, improving human-AI collaboration, and developing methods to ensure the ethical deployment of AI technologies in sensitive domains like content moderation and misinformation detection. His work shows progression from foundational techniques in crowdsourcing and human computation toward more sophisticated approaches that consider psychological impacts and ethical implications. 2024 Test of Time Paper Award, AAAI Conference on Human Computation and Crowdsourcing (HCOMP) 2024 Most Influential Paper Award, IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated Software Engineering (ASE) 2024 Best Paper Honorable Mention, ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) 2022 Best Student Paper, Conference on Information Systems and Technology (CIST) 2020 Conference Award Track, Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research (JAIR) 2019 Best Student Paper, European Conference for Information Retrieval (ECIR) Early Career awards from DARPA, NSF, and IMLS Lease has secured significant funding for his research, including the $20M NSF-Simons AI Institute for Cosmic Origins and the $20M Good Systems Grand Challenge. His lab, AI&HCC, has developed numerous tools and methodologies for human-AI collaboration, particularly in the context of content moderation and fact-checking. He has advised numerous students who have gone on to publish in top-tier conferences and journals in AI, HCI, and NLP. Lease actively collaborates with industry partners including Amazon, where he serves as an Amazon Scholar, and has served on advisory boards for JASIS&T, Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), and UT Austin-Amazon Science Hub. His research has led to practical tools like SQUARE for aggregating crowd responses and methods for transparent AI evaluation. Lease leads the UT Austin Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Human-Centered Computing (AI&HCC), which has developed innovative approaches to human-AI collaboration. The lab's work on content moderation addresses critical challenges in online safety, including the psychological well-being of content moderators who face traumatic material. Their research on fair and explainable AI has produced methods for detecting toxic speech while maintaining accuracy across demographic groups. The lab actively collaborates with fact-checking organizations through co-design processes to create tools that meet real-world needs. As part of UT Austin's Good Systems initiative, the lab is developing AI technologies that prioritize human values and social responsibility from the outset of the design process.
Cansu Demir is a Researcher at the University of Salzburg within the Artificial Intelligence and Human Interfaces department. She holds a Dr. technical and M.Sc. in Human-Computer Interaction alongside a B.Sc. in Computer Science, with research centered on human-AI interaction in automated vehicles and emergency response systems. Education Dr. technical in Human-Computer Interaction M.Sc. in Human-Computer Interaction B.Sc. in Computer Science Her work investigates trust dynamics in autonomous systems, mode awareness transitions via ambient interfaces, and empathic communication to mitigate bystander effects in accidents. She designs and evaluates in-vehicle agents that enhance driver-vehicle collaboration through innovative sensory feedback mechanisms. Recent publications (2021-2024) reveal consistent focus on automotive human factors, with growing emphasis on empathic AI for crisis scenarios and SAE Level 5 autonomy challenges. Her research bridges theoretical HCI frameworks with real-world vehicle interface implementations. Scientific Awards Best paper award in AUI'21 (2021) Exclusive Salzburg AG Scholarship (2022) Performance Scholarship for Master’s excellence (2023) Marie Andeßner Prize for Master's Thesis (2024) World EXPO 2025 Travel Grant (2025) As a core contributor to the EXDIGIT project (2022-2028), she secures interdisciplinary funding while mentoring junior researchers. Her grant portfolio emphasizes European collaborative frameworks for digital innovation. She operates within Salzburg’s AI and Human Interfaces research cluster, collaborating with international teams across the EXDIGIT consortium on long-term automated vehicle studies.
Claes Thorén is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Informatics and Media, Uppsala University, Sweden, where he has held academic positions since 2013 (Researcher 2013-2014, Senior Lecturer 2014-present). His research investigates the societal and organizational consequences of digitalization with particular focus on technological disengagement, resistance, and disillusionment in contemporary post-digital contexts. His educational background includes: Master of Arts in Cultural Studies (with distinction) from University of East London (2006-2008) Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada (2003-2005) Bachelor of Science in Information Systems from Systems Analysis program (1995-1998) Thorén's research explores digital disconnection and resistance phenomena through frameworks of cultural theory, practice theory, and socio-materiality. He examines how individuals and communities navigate technological saturation by seeking meaningful encounters beyond digital interfaces, analyzing non-use practices across diverse contexts from tabletop gaming to religious communication. His work reveals how analogue alternatives and disconnection strategies emerge as responses to digital disillusionment. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2016-2025) shows consistent investigation of post-digital resistance across multiple domains. Key trends include examination of digital disenchantment signals in social media, analogue aesthetics in digital landscapes, and institutional tensions in technology implementation. His interdisciplinary approach bridges media studies, organizational communication, and cultural sociology to understand how societies renegotiate technology relationships in an era where digital saturation has become normalized.
Rachel Falconer is a Lecturer in the Department of Computing at Goldsmiths, University of London, and serves as Head of the Digital Arts Computing BSc program. She is also the Goldsmiths Digital Project Manager. Her work bridges digital art curation, feminist technoscience, and critical engagement with emergent technologies. Falconer holds an MA in Curating Contemporary Art from the Royal College of Art and a BA in Industrial Design and Multimedia Communications from UCL/Politecnico di Milano. Her research focuses on networked curatorial strategies, human-computer interaction, and decentralized technologies. She has curated exhibitions at institutions like Tate, Barbican, and V&A, and her writing appears in Frieze , British Journal of Photography , and The Guardian . Falconer supervises PhD students in computational arts and digital arts computing, including primary supervision of Yajuan Han. Her articles explore themes like distributed knowledge production and the societal implications of AI. She frequently speaks at events such as EVA London and the Institute of Network Cultures, advocating for critical perspectives on technology's role in culture and society.
Dr. Shameem Ahmed is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Western Washington University. He co-founded and co-directs the NEAT (Next Generation Effective Affective Technology) research group, focusing on interdisciplinary work at the intersection of technology for neurodivergent individuals, human-computer interaction (HCI), and information and communication technologies for development (ICTD). Education: Ph.D. in Information Science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign MS in Computer Science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign MS in Computer Science from Marquette University B.Sc. in Computer Science and Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology His research explores assistive technologies for autistic individuals, including emotion detection, stress prediction, and accessible education design. Recent work includes IEEE COMPSAC 2024 publications on emotion recognition systems and assessment techniques for autistic students. His peer-reviewed articles span topics like mixed-reality training platforms , data-driven stress analysis , and self-healing middleware , with a focus on surveys, systematic reviews, and technology deployment in developing regions. He has mentored students receiving WWU CS Outstanding Graduate Student and Alumni Awards . Awards: Outstanding Poster Award, Undergraduate Scholars Poster Session, WWU (2017, 2016) Dissertation Fellowship, iSchool, UIUC (2014) Honorable Mention: Best Poster Award, ACM iConference (2013) Sohaib and Sara Abbasi Fellowship, CS, UIUC (2008) Runner-up, CS UIUC Internet Television (IPTV) Development Competition (2008) Shameem Ahmed teaches courses in database systems , mobile programming , and technology for social good . His NEAT lab has produced impactful tools like InterViewR for job interview training simulations and studies on autism support systems in Bangladesh.
Sidney S. Fels is a Professor at the University of British Columbia, affiliated with the Human Communication Technologies Lab in Vancouver. His research spans Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Virtual Reality, Biomechanical Engineering, Speech Synthesis, and Medical Imaging. He focuses on innovative interfaces, surgical simulation, and AI-driven educational tools. Recent work includes advancements in touch interaction systems (e.g., HaloTouch), chatbot-assisted learning, and biomechanical modeling for medical applications. His research interests emphasize bridging computational models with real-world applications, particularly in healthcare and education. Notable contributions include contributions to CHI conferences, SIGGRAPH, and INTERSPEECH, showcasing work on AI ethics in learning environments, vocal tract modeling, and pervasive computing systems. Fels collaborates extensively with researchers in engineering, medicine, and computer science, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach to solving complex human-centric challenges. Labs/Teams: Human Communication Technologies Lab at UBC.
