Faculty

Michael L. Best

Director

Dr. Michael L. Best is Executive Director of the Institute for People and Technology (IPaT) and Professor with the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Institute of Technology where he directs the Technologies and International Development Lab. He was founding director of the United Nations University Institute on Computing and Society (UNU-CS) in Macau SAR, China. He holds a Ph.D. from MIT and has served as director of Media Lab Asia in India and head of the eDevelopment group at the MIT Media Lab.

Email: mikeb@gatech.edu

PhD Students

Amy Chen

Amy researches the design and role of technologies in supporting community-based public health communication. She has been part of a community-engaged research coalition here in Georgia, co-developing sociotechnical approaches such as social media analytics to inform health outreach, and using qualitative and participatory methods to investigate and reflect on these processes. Before pursuing a PhD, she worked for several years developing and evaluating technologies and interventions in global health and development, living and working in India, Kenya, Zambia, and Uganda.

Email: amychen@gatech.edu

Shuheng Liu

Shuheng is a fourth-year CS PhD student. His current research focus includes understanding people’s perception on the development of low-resource language technology, as well as devising methods to build resources for low-resource languages. He also has research experience in information extraction and social media analysis. Before coming to Georgia Tech, Shuheng earned his bachelor’s degrees from University of Washington.

Email: sliu775@gatech.edu

Huaigu Li

Huaigu Li is a third-year CS PhD student. He completed a Bachelor’s degree in IoT Engineering in China and a Master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech. Before joining the lab, Huaigu has conducted research in accessibility and learning science. His current work centers on comparative studies in AI ethics research across different research communities, analyzing diverse perspectives and trends in the field.

Email: hli723@gatech.edu

Charles

Charles is a first-year Computer Science PhD student. His research interests lie broadly in applications of machine learning for global healthcare. Before starting his PhD, he completed his M.S. in Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin and his B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Email: nimo@gatech.edu

Leslie Dwolatzky

Leslie is a PhD student in International Affairs, Science and Technology. Research interests include how technology impacts development and inequality in the Global South.

Email: ldwolatzky3@gatech.edu

Daniel Nkemelu

Daniel is a final year HCC PhD student. He completed a BS in Computer Science from the University of Ibadan in 2016, and an MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2019, where he was a Mastercard Foundation Scholar. His present research interests lie at the intersection of artificial intelligence, social computing and global development.

Email: dnkemelu@gatech.edu

Masters Students

Akanksha Tanwar

Akanksha is a user experience designer and researcher interested in human-computer interaction, accessible and inclusive design, and design innovation.

Email: atanwar3@gatech.edu

Yuxin Lin

Yuxin is a first year MS-HCI Student and UX researcher interested in promoting accessibility and universal design using AI

Email: yuxin.lin@gatech.edu

Wade Lee

Wade is a user experience designer and researcher interested in human-computer interaction, accessible and inclusive design, and design innovation.

Email: wade.lee@gatech.edu

Eli Marietta

Eli is a User Experience Researcher exploring the role of digital systems in promoting public health and global equity.

Email: emarietta3@gatech.edu

Undergraduates

Florin Brunner

Florin is a fourth-year BSCS Student with a strong interest in applying computational methods, including machine learning and high-performance computing, to address complex real-world issues.

Email: florin.brunner@gatech.edu

Sanjay Damodaran

Sanjay is a second-year student of International Affairs interested in science and technology policy.

Email: sjdamgr@gatech.edu

Archie Goli

Hello! I’m a third-year studying Computer Science and Mathematics at Georgia Tech. I’m driven to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Machine Learning to drive meaningful global change.

Email: agoli6@gatech.edu