I am an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Information, primarily researching and teaching in the areas of Social Justice Informatics and User Experience Design/Research. Alongside Dr. Angela D. R. Smith, I co-founded and co-direct the Research on Equity, Access, and incLusIon in Technology and societY Lab (REALITY Lab).

My research is at the intersection of education, accessibility, AI, and broadening participation. I primarily focus on issues of inclusion and access for persons from historically underserved populations, such as marginalized racial and ethnic groups, persons with disabilities, and aging adults. My current research identifies and addresses barriers to access and equity in online learning (e-learning) and associated technologies. I’m interested in identifying various (human, psychosocial, technical) factors that create learning disparities and differential access to e-learning engagement. I employ participatory and interaction design methods to inform the design of solutions produced with the voices of the people who use them. I also research how artificial intelligence (AI) can be leveraged in an educational context and what ethical approaches should be applied toward the design of AI-based systems.

My secondary research looks at designing, developing, and deploying interventions for increasing the awareness, interest, and self-efficacy of post-secondary students in pursuing careers in user experience (UX) design and research. I’m interested in teaching students inclusive design principles to inform the development of more inclusive products, primarily centering accessible user experiences.