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
I am looking for PhD students to start Fall 2025. 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. If this sounds like you, please email me.