I am an Assistant Professor in the Computational Media and Arts and Internet of Things Thrusts at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou). I earned my PhD in 2024 from the Information School at the University of Washington. During my PhD I was an Apple AI/ML Scholar and was advised by Jacob O. Wobbrock.
rachelfranz@hkust-gz.edu.cn | Google Scholar | LinkedIn
My Research Interests
My research focuses on accessible technology design and evaluation for users with disabilities and low digital literacy. I seek to make novel technologies usable and accessible to people with disabilities (e.g., people with sensory, physical, or cognitive impairments) and older adults (ages 65+). One of my goals is to leverage AI to adapt interactions and systems to users’ preferences and abilities to enable their use of mainstream technologies.
Prospective PhD Applicants
Potential students should have prior research experience and be strong in two of four skills:
- Interaction design
- Study design and statistical analysis
- Software or hardware prototyping
- Building ML/AI models
Students should also be interested in accessibility or working with older adults.