About me

I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Human Computer Interaction Lab at the University of Notre Dame, and co-advised by Dr. Ronald Metoyer and Dr. Karla Badillo-Urquiola. Before coming to Notre Dame, I earned an MS in Computer Science from Boise State University (BSU), where I was a member of the People and Information Research Team.

My work falls in the intersection of HCI, human-AI collaboration, AI ethics, and social welfare, and focuses on the empowerment of underserved and marginalized groups, including children, low-income communities, and other vulnerable populations, through digital solutions. My current research uses ethnography and participatory design methodologies to explore challenges and needs in the work processes of community workers supporting underserved and marginalized groups, and to design, implement, and evaluate AI-powered knowledge management interventions that strengthen support systems for these populations. Additionally, I am passionate about enhancing AI literacy in the Global South, with a special emphasis on Africa. My research findings have been disseminated through presentations and publications at leading academic conferences across HCI and related interdisciplinary fields, including CHI, IDC, ICSE, and FAccT.

My research has been generously funded by the Jessie Ball duPont Foundation and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Latest news

  • 2024-03
    Great news! My submission to the #CHI2024 Doctoral Consortium was accepted. I will be presenting my doctoral research titled "Strengthening Communities: Towards AI-Empowered Knowledge Management for Community Social Services."
  • 2024-01
    Exciting News!!! Our paper "Cultural Considerations in AI Systems for the Global South: A Systematic Review" is now available in ACM DL! This paper can be accessed here.
  • 2024-01
    Thrilled to share that our paper "Integrating Expertise in LLMs: Crafting a Customized Nutrition Assistant with Refined Template Instructions" was accepted at #CHI2024!!! This work was co-authored with my peers, Annalisa Szymanski and Brianna Wimer!
  • 2023-11
    I passed my PhD oral candidacy exam! Now a Doctoral Candidate!!!
  • 2023-11
    I delivered an invited talk at the Center for Brain, AI & Child at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and presented on "Participatory Research and Ethics of Working with Communities for AI Research" in Dr. Tom Yeh's lab!!!
  • 2023-08
    I presented our work "Exploring the Barriers and Potential Opportunities of Technology Integration in Community-based Social Service Organizations" at ACM COMPASS in Cape Town, South Africa!!!
  • 2023-04
    I presented our work "Characterizing the Technology Needs of Vulnerable Populations for Participation in Research and Design by Adopting Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs" at CHI2023 in Hamburg, Germany!!!

Travel

  • 2023-11-08 to 2023-11-10
    Invited Talk in the Center for Brain, AI, & Child - Boulder, Colorado, USA.
  • 2023-09-13 to 2023-09-15
    TAPIA 2023 - Dallas, Texas, USA.
  • 2023-08-16 to 2023-08-21
    COMPASS 2023 - Cape Town, South Africa.
  • 2023-04-23 to 2023-04-28
    CHI 2023 - Hamburg, Germany.
  • 2022-05-30 to 2022-08-22
    Internship at Microsoft - Redmond, Washington, USA.
  • 2022-04-30 to 2022-05-06
    CHI 2022 - New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
  • 2022-03-24 to 2022-03-26
    Cra Grad Cohort for IDEALS - San Diego, California, USA.
  • 2019-08-08 to 2019-08-11
    NSBC Conference - Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
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  • 2019-05-13 to 2019-05-17
    The Web Conference - San Francisco, California, USA.
  • 2018-03-21 to 2018-03-25
    NSBE National Convention - Pittsburg, Philadelphia, USA.
  • 2018-03-15 to 2018-03-17
    CRA Grad Cohort for URMD (now IDEALS) - San Diego, California, USA.
  • 2017-10-04 to 2017-10-04
    Grace Hopper Conference - Orlando, Florida, USA.
  • 2017-04-06 to 2017-04-08
    CRA Grad Cohort for Women - Washington DC, USA.