I am an assistant professor in the College of Computing and Digital Media at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. I co-direct the Technology for Social Good | Research and Design Lab with Dr. Denise Nacu. 

As for my research, I explore and design technologies used by groups, teams, and communities to solve social issues in urban environments by considering social, cultural, and economic contexts as well as socio-technical infrastructures. My current projects explore how various Chicago communities use technologies to address social issues such as crime, education, political efficacy, and economic development. The goal of my work is to design socio-cultural appropriate technologies that can be embedded in urban neighborhoods that encourage collaborative pro-social behavior.

I received my Ph.D. from the Technology and Social Behavior program at Northwestern University. The program is a joint degree in Computer Science and Communication. I received my Masters in Computer Science focusing on Human Computer Interaction from the College of Computing at Georgia Institute of Technology. Before attending Georgia Tech, I received two Bachelors of Science degrees from Spelman College in Computer Science and Mathematics. Prior to returning for my Ph.D., I was an User Experience Engineer at IBM.

Recent News

  • Feb 2017: Our CHI 2017 paper was awarded a Best Paper award (selected as the top 1% of all CHI submissions). 
  • Feb 2017: I was awarded an NSF EAGER Grant to support my research designing and developing a mobile application to support violence interruption in Chicago.
  • Jan 2017: Our paper (with Jennifer Burrell), "Empowered Participation: How Citizens Use Technology in Local Governance" was accepted to CHI 2017.
  • Jan 2017: Our two book chapters about our Digital Youth Divas program were published in the new book, "Moving Students of Color from Consumers to Producers of Technology."
  • Jan 2017: I am on research leave! I am looking forward to connecting with colleagues and new collaborators!
  • Dec 2016: I joined the CHI 2017 Program Committee.
  • Nov 2016: We will be hosting a workshop, "Reflection on Design Methods for Underserved Communities" at CSCW 2017.
  • Sept 2016: Our paper (with Aarti Israni and Chè Smith), "Snitches, Trolls, and Social Norms: Unpacking Perceptions of Social Media Use for Crime Prevention" was accepted to CSCW 2017.​
  • ​more news...

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