Several AccessComputing Team Members completed their PhDs in 2024. Congratulations to each of them on this important milestone in their careers! Below are team members who announced their graduation and let us know a bit about what their futures hold:
Alex Cabral, PhD in Computer Science, Harvard University
Dr. Cabral’s dissertation title was Rethinking Quality Metrics for Low-Cost Urban Environmental Sensor Networks. Dr. Cabral has accepted a postdoctoral position with the Ka Moamoa Lab in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech University. Her research interests include environmental sensing, urban sensing, community engagement, and urban and environmental informatics.
Jay Cunningham, PhD in Human Centered Design and Engineering, University of Washington
Dr. Cunningham’s dissertation was titled Methods of Designing Justice-Oriented Interactive AI Systems. Dr. Cunningham is currently traveling abroad on a University of Washington Bonderman Fellowship. On his fellowship, he is retracing the transatlantic slave trade through the Global South and connecting with the rich history, culture, and traditions of Benin and Ghana in West Africa; Brazil in Latin America; and Jamaica, Barbados, and surrounding Caribbean islands to—among other goals—gain a deeper understanding of Black diasporic history and culture extending from West Africa to the Americas. His research interests include fairness, accountability, transparency, and ethics in tech/AI, critical race theory in human-computer interactions, interaction techniques, ubiquitous computing, and user experience research (UX/UI).
Until his graduation, Dr. Cunningham served as a student regent on the Board of Regents for the University of Washington.
Mara Kirdani-Ryan, PhD in Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington
Dr. Kirdani-Ryan’s dissertation was titled Identity Fragmentation in Post-Secondary Computing Education.They are an assistant teaching professor with the University of Washington Information School. Dr. Kirdani-Ryan’s research interests include culture and society, and they are currently exploring how to deepen critical computing engagements in students' technical coursework through counternarratives with a focus on manifestations of white supremacy.
Maciej Kos, PhD in Personal Health Informatics, Northeastern University
Dr. Kos’ dissertation topic was on digital biomarkers of cognitive health: unobtrusive monitoring of cognitive changes using smartphones. Dr. Kos is working as a postdoctoral research fellow at Northeasten University’s Center for Cognitive and Brain Health. His research interests include extending healthspan and amplifying cognition through technology-enabled interventions and scientific discovery.
Avery Mack, PhD in Computer Science, University of Washington
Dr. Mack’s dissertation was titled Understanding, Designing, and Building Adaptable Technology for Fluctuating Accessibility Needs in Group Settings. Dr. Mack is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Human-Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington. Their research interests include disability representation in AI, AI applications for accessibility, accessible interfaces, and accessible research methods.
Emma McDonnell, PhD in Human Centered Design and Engineering, University of Washington
Dr. McDonnell’s dissertation focused on reimagining communication access as something that d/Deaf and hard of hearing people create together; her work focused on designing interventions that could guide hearing people towards adopting more accessible norms. Dr. McDonnell is a National Library of Medicine postdoctoral fellow with the Department of Biomedical Informatics and Education at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Her research interests include studying how disability community, activist, and scholarly perspectives can shape and dictate what tools we choose to build and the research approaches we take. She has a special focus on accessibility contexts that receive community and activist focus but are not represented in academic literature.
Venkatesh Potluri, PhD in Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington
Dr. Potluri’s dissertation was titled A Paradigm Shift in Nonvisual Programming, and he began working in fall 2024 as an assistant professor of information with the School of Information at the University of Michigan. His research interests fall into areas of human-centered interaction and accessibility. He believes that using technology is a human experience, just like living with a disability is, and every person involved in designing technology has a part to play in making the world more accessible.
Ather Sharif, PhD in Computer Science, University of Washington
Dr. Sharif’s dissertation was titled Improving the Accessibility of Online Data Visualizations for Screen-Reader Users and Visualization Creators. He is a lead software engineer, human-computer interaction + accessibility researcher, disability advocate and technology consultant, and the chairman of the executive board of the Disability Empowerment Center in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Sharif researches ways to make the digital world as accessible to people with disabilities as it is for able-bodied people; in addition, he designs and develops accessible websites and webapps.
Jesse Stern, PhD in Computer Science, University of Chicago
Dr. Stern’s dissertation title was On Volume Leakage Based Attacks against Secure Outsourced Databases and Their Relation to the Turnpike Problem and Tilings. He is an assistant teaching professor in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Northeastern University. He researches a broad range of problems in cryptography, combinatorics, and computational complexity and is particularly interested in tiling and interpoint distance-related problems.