Our work in human-centered computing explores and enhances the ways in which people and communities engage with and experience technology.
Our research considers the personal, educational, cultural, and ethical implications of innovation. Drawing upon techniques from human-computer interaction, learning sciences, sensing and more, we aim to maximize the potential benefits of technology while minimizing potential harms to individuals, groups and society.
Groups & Labs
Makeability Lab
The Makeability Lab specializes in Human-Computer Interaction and applied machine learning for high-impact problems in accessibility, computational urban science, and augmented reality.
Wildlab
The Wildlab explores how technology can be biased against people who are unlike those who created it — and to build systems that help designers, developers, and researchers better support the needs and perspectives of different people.
Faculty Members
Centers & Initiatives
The Center for Neurotechnology (CNT) got its start in 2011 as one of several Engineering Research Centers (ERCs) funded by the National Science Foundation. CNT is headquartered at the University of Washington, with core partners at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and San Diego State University. CNT researchers focus on developing and applying principles of engineered neuroplasticity to revolutionize the treatment of spinal cord injury, stroke and other debilitating neurological conditions.
The Institute for Medical Data Science (IMDS) is a joint effort among the Schools of Medicine and Public Health and the College of Engineering, including the Allen School to lead the development and implementation of cutting-edge AI and data science methods in medical data science. By harnessing the power of AI across diverse health determinants, IMDS aims to improve patient health, provider satisfaction, and healthcare operations, particularly in the Pacific Northwest region.
Highlights
Allen School News
Sharma (Ph.D., ‘24) won the 2024 award from the Association for Computing Machinery for leveraging AI to make high-quality mental health support more accessible, and Min (Ph.D., ‘24) received an honorable mention for developing a new class of efficient and flexible language models.
Allen School News
Researchers in the Allen School’s Security & Privacy Research Lab studied online ads and found that not only can they be annoying, but they are also inaccessible for screen reader users. Their work earned a Best Paper Award at last year’s Internet Measurement Conference.
University of Washington Magazine
Allen School Ph.D. student Kate Glazko and her collaborators at UW CREATE explore how generative technologies can be both a help and a hindrance for people with disabilities.