Are you interested in doing research in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)? Research in HCI at UW occurs primarily in four departments: Information School, Computer Science & Engineering (CSE), Human-Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE), and Interaction Design, School of Art (Art/IxD). People from these units, along with industry affiliates from Microsoft Research and Intel Research, make up the DUB Group, an affiliation of faculty, students, and industry researchers devoted to advancing HCI and Design at the University of Washington.
Jacob O. Wobbrock, who advises the AIM Research Group, is an Assistant Professor in the Information School and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Computer Science & Engineering. He is one of many HCI faculty in the Information School; others are Batya Friedman, David Hendry, William Jones, Julie Kientz, Andrew Ko, David McDonald, and Wanda Pratt. Information School adjunct faculty in HCI include Alan Borning and Gaetano Borriello from Computer Science & Engineering. HCI affiliate faculty include Beverly Harrison from Intel Research Seattle, and Jonathan Grudin and Susan Dumais from Microsoft Research. Thus, there are many HCI faculty associated with the Information School at the University of Washington, giving our students plenty from which to choose.
Beyond the iSchool and its affiliates, there are even more HCI faculty at UW, including James Landay, James Fogarty, Daniel S. Weld, and Shwetak Patel in Computer Science & Engineering; Judy Ramey, Beth Kolko, Charlotte Lee, and Sarah Kriz in Human-Centered Design & Engineering; and Axel Roesler, Andrew Davidson, and Karen Cheng in Interaction Design. For a complete list of all HCI faculty, see the DUB people page.
If you are a prospective Ph.D. student interested in pursuing HCI research, the Information School may be a great option. The iSchool brings together technology, social science, and design to pursue both activities of discovery (science) and activities of invention (design, prototyping). Areas of research strength include assistive technology, input and interaction techniques, value sensitive design, sustainability and urban planning, computer supported cooperative work (CSCW), studies of designers and software development teams, better tools for programmers, biomedical and health informatics, and mobile interaction design, among others. HCI at the Information School uses technology to address contemporary social problems, uniting the study of technical, social, ethical, and environmental issues in the creation of new solutions. We are highly collaborative, both within and beyond the iSchool walls.
HCI at the Information School is not just for Ph.D. students. If you are an undergraduate Informatics major, you can do an HCI option that appears on your diploma and transcript. The HCI option involves courses in the four main DUB-affiliated departments: iSchool, CSE, HCDE, and Art/IxD.
For Ph.D. students interested in pursuing HCI, apply to the Ph.D. program in the department that best fits your interests. In the Information School, the doctorate is a Ph.D. in Information Science, a broad customizable degree that can focus on most any aspect of people, information, and technology. Ideal candidates for joining the AIM Research Group will have a background in computer science or similar, possibly with joint degrees in psychology, human factors, anthropology, mechanical engineering, or design. We actively publish in ACM CHI, ACM UIST, ACM ASSETS, and other top HCI venues. Human-Computer Interaction is an interdisciplinary field, so all qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.
