I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Computer Science Department at the University of Maryland (and a visiting student/researcher at Cornell University). My research interests lie in the new interfaces and interactions that are possible when we innovate at both the software and hardware levels.
My dissertation research is in building a new class of electronic reading device that supports the complex reading activities associated with knowledge work and academic research. Specifically, I am studying how a multi-slate reading system that consist of multiple displays for reading and writing can be employed to provide both computer-like and paper-like functionality. The goal of my research is to create electronic reading systems that enable users to enjoy the convenience, accessibility, and computational support of digital documents, while preserving the physicality, effortless navigation, and fluid information capture that is possible with paper.
Since reading activities are rarely performed in isolation to other tasks, my research emphasizes creating a complete end-to-end system so that my systems integrate into the existing workflow of users. As a result, my work includes improvements to the UI, hardware design and infrastructure building. The studies I conduct also reflect the comprehensive style of my research: they range from controlled lab studies to in-situ deployments of my devices in the real-world.
My dissertation work is part of a broader interest in exploring how the increasing variety of electronic devices we have around us can work cooperatively to enable new functionality.