Directory
Availability to Accept New PhD Students:
This faculty member is currently accepting Ph.D. studentsStephanie Valencia²
Assistant Professorsval@umd.edu
HBK 2117G
https://stephanie-valencia.com/
Dr. Valencia² is dedicated to promoting equitable access to assistive technologies (AT), advocating for open-source hardware, and championing the inclusion of underrepresented groups in technology design and development. Dr. Valencia²’s research endeavors are centered on elevating user agency, accessibility, and enjoyment. Employing participatory design methodologies, she has explored the integration of diverse design elements such as artificial intelligence and embodied expressive objects to empower augmentative and alternative communication users. Dr. Valencia² works on conceptualizing these innovations but also in building and deploying them to make a real-world impact. Rigorous empirical studies are an integral part of her work, ensuring that the efficacy and significance of design contributions are thoroughly assessed. She earned her Ph.D. at the Human-computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.
Associated Research Centers
- Human-Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL)
- Maryland Initiative for Digital Accessibility (MIDA)
- Organizational Teams & Technology Society (OTTRS) Interest Group
- Values-Centered Artificial Intelligence (VCAI) Initiative
Research & Focus Areas
- Accessibility and Inclusive Design
- Health Informatics
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Information Justice, Human Rights, and Technology Ethics
- Machine Learning, AI, Computational Linguistics, and Information Retrieval
- Youth Experience, Learning, and Digital Practices