Human-Centered Computing Ph.D. - Research and Labs

HCC Research + Labs

Human-Centered Computing (HCC) research at Georgia Tech includes the following areas: Human-Computer Interaction, Social Computing, and Cognition, Learning and Creativity.

Our world-class faculty and graduate researchers work together in collaborative lab settings to explore some of the most exciting and significant problems in the world of computing. To discover the areas of research of our current Ph.D. HCC students or to unpack the specific research done in each of these labs, visit our individual lab websites, listed below.

HCC Affiliated Labs:

HCC Areas of Research:

Human-Computer Interaction
  • Rosa Arriaga is a developmental psychologist in the School of Interactive Computing. Her emphasis is on using psychological theories and methods to address fundamental topics of human computer interaction. Dr. Arriaga’s current research interest is in the area of chronic care management. Dr. Arriaga co-directs the Ubiquitous Computing Group.
  • Carl F. DiSalvo is an Associate Professor in the School of Interactive Computing. Dr. DiSalvo draws together science and technology studies, the humanities, and design research to analyze the social and political qualities of design and prototype experimental systems and services.
  • Rebecca “Beki” Grinter is a Professor in the School of Interactive Computing. Dr. Grinter’s research focuses on improving the experience of computing by understanding the human experience in the building and using of technologies.
  • Elizabeth Mynatt is a Professor in the College of Computing and Executive Director of the Institute for People and Technology (IPaT). Dr. Mynatt’s research supports informal collaboration and awareness in office environments, enables creative work and visual communication, and augments social processes for managing personal information. Dr. Mynatt directs the Everyday Computing Lab.
  • Blair MacIntyre is an Associate Professor in the School of Interactive Computing. Dr. MacIntyre’s research focuses on augmented reality environments, especially those that use personal displays (i.e., displays worn or carried by the user) to directly augment a user's perception of their environment. Dr. MacIntyre co-directs the Augmented Environments lab.
  • Brian Magerko is a Professor of Digital Media in the School of Literature, Communication and Culture with courtesy appointments in Interactive Computing and Psychology. Dr. Magerkostudies human creativity, how we can better understand it as a sociocognitive process, and how we can use that understanding to inform the design and development of co-creative AI systems, performance technologies, digital art, and educational technology.  Dr. Magerko directs the Expressive Machinery Lab.
  • Andrea G. Parker is an Associate Professor in the School of Interactive Computing. Her interdisciplinary research spans the domains of human-computer interaction and public health, as she examines how social and interactive computing systems can be designed to address health disparities. Dr. Parker directs the Wellness Technology Lab.
  • Colin Potts is an Associate Professor in the School of Interactive Computing. Dr. Potts’ research in requirements engineering, collaboration in software development, information privacy, and ontology of computing shares the parallel themes of how computing technologies affect the way that we think about work and the everyday world and how the way we interact and think affects the technology we deploy.
  • Thad Starner is a Professor in the School of Interactive Computing. Dr. Starner’s research creates computational interfaces and agents for use in everyday mobile environments. Dr. Starner directs the Contextual Computing Group.
  • John T. Stasko is a Professor & Associate Chair in the School of Interactive Computing. Dr. Stasko’s research focuses on the creation of information visualization and visual analytics tools to help people explore, analyze, and understand large data sets. Dr. Stasko directs the Information Interfaces Group.
  • Bruce Walker is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology and School of Interactive Computing. Dr. Walker develops technology by considering the perceptual, cognitive, and social needs and abilities of those who will use it. Dr. Walker directs the Sonification Lab.
  • Ellen Zegura is a Professor and Chair in the School of Computer Science. Dr. Zegura’s research concerns the development of wide-area (Internet) networking services and mobile wireless networking.

 

Social Computing
  • Rahul Basole is an Associate Professor in the School of Interactive Computing and the Associate Director of the Institute for People and Technology. Dr. Basole’s research integrates systems science, visualization, and analytics to understand and manage technology, operations, and innovation in complex enterprises.
  • Amy Bruckman is a Professor in the School of Interactive Computing and a member of the Graphics, Visualization, and Usability Center. Dr. Bruckman conducts research on online communities and education and directs the Electronic Learning Communities (ELC) Lab.
  • Munmun De Choudhury is an Assistant Professor in the School of Interactive Computing. Her research focuses on computational methods to make sense of large-scale social behavior online. Dr. De Choudhury directs the Social Dynamics and Wellbeing Lab.
  • Keith Edwards is a Professor in the School of Interactive Computing and the Director of the Graphics, Visualization, and Usability Center. Dr. Edwards is rethinking various aspects of computing infrastructure to enable new types of experiences and, conversely, understanding how current computing infrastructures too often “show through” in the user experience. Dr. Edwards directs the Pixi Lab.
  • Irfan Essa is a Professor in the School of Interactive Computing and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Dr. Essa focuses on the analysis, interpretation, authoring, and synthesis of video, with the goal of building aware environments, supporting healthy living, recognizing and modeling human behaviors, and empowering humans to effectively interact with each other, with media, and with technologies. Dr. Essa is affiliated with the Computational Perception Laboratory.

 

Cognition, Learning and Creativity
  • Betsy DiSalvo is an Assistant Professor in the School of Interactive Computing. Dr. DiSalvo works with community groups to design new learning technologies and methods for teaching technology that take cultural values and access into account. Dr. DiSalvo leads the Culture and Technology (CAT) Lab.
  • Ashok Goel is a Professor of Computer Science and Cognitive Science in the School of Interactive Computing. Dr. Goel conducts research into human-centered computing, artificial intelligence and cognitive science, with a focus on computational design, discovery, and creativity. Dr. Goel directs the Design & Intelligence Laboratory.
  • Melody Moore Jackson is a Visiting Associate Professor in the College of Computing. Dr. Jackson’s research focuses on the direct control of computers and devices from human brain signals. Dr. Jackson directs the GT Brainlab.
  • Brian Magerko is an Associate Professor of Digital Media in the School of Literature, Communication and Culture. Dr. Magerko conducts research in the fields of interactive narrative, digital performance, AI-based computer game design, and educational media. Dr. Magerko directs the Adaptive Digital Media (ADAM) Lab.
  • Mark Riedl is an Associate Professor in the School of Interactive Computing. Dr. Riedl conducts research into artificial intelligence and storytelling for entertainment. Dr. Riedl directs the Entertainment Intelligence Lab.