Assistant Professor
Cornell University  
243 Gates Hall
​adityav (at) cornell.edu
I am recruiting students interested in HCI, ICTD, and Accessibility research. Email me to know more!
I am an Assistant Professor at Cornell University, a Visiting Researcher at Microsoft Research, and a faculty fellow at Cornell Atkinson Center for sustainability. My research focuses on using computing to achieve social good of people in low-resource environments. This encompasses: 
  1. ​Building novel computing systems for ​low-literate people, rural residents, and people with disabilities;  
  2. Systematizing factors that impact their use of technology;
  3. Deploying systems in real-world settings to facilitate their socioeconomic development.

​​More broadly, my work lies at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), ICT & Development (ICTD), and Accessibility. Given the interdisciplinary nature of global development, my research spans several disciplinary boundaries, such as computer science, information science, global health, agriculture, disability studies, and others. 

​My research is generously supported by Microsoft, Google, Facebook, USAID, PATH, Humanity United, Access Now, and others. My work has transitioned into large-scale, real-world products that have reached an estimated 220,000 people in Africa and South Asia. 
​​
I recently completed a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington, where my dissertation was recognized with the William Chan Memorial Dissertation Award.  
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background Layer 1 Build Systematize Deploy Toolkit to Build Voice Forums IVR Junction [NSDR'12] Systems for Indigenous Citizen Journalism [DEV'14] Communities Civic Engagement [ICTD'13] Social Media Platforms Low-Income Rural Residents [CHI'15] Crowdsourcing Marketplaces Low-Income Students [CHI'17] Blind People [CHI'18] Rural Residents [CHI'19] Computing for Maternal Health Examining Reach and Spread [ICTD'16] Examining Localization Approaches [DIS'17] Reducing Response Bias in Evaluations [CHI'18] Educational Content for Blind People [DEV'14] Ag Market Info Systems [ICTD'19] Security & Privacy Risks [COMPASS'19] Multilingualism [CHI'18] Incentives, Mechanisms, and Mediums for Sharing Monetary Incentives [CSCW'15] Crowd Mobilization [INTERACT'15] Use and Non-Use of Systems Blind People [ASSETS'15, CHI'18] Low-Income Women [CHI'19] Research focus diagram inspired by Professor Bjöern Hartmann
​RECENT NEWS
  • June 2020:  Received a grant from Cornell's Atkinson Center for Sustainability to examine misinformation about COVID-19 in low-resource environments! Thank you Cornell Atkinson!
  • April 2020:  Our paper, Learning from Tweets: Opportunities and Challenges to Inform Policy Making During Dengue Epidemic, got accepted at CSCW 2020!
  • Jan 2020: Got a Google Faculty Research Award to combat online harassment of marginalized women using human-centered AI approaches!
  • Jan 2020: Our paper, Challenges and Issues Integrating Smartphones into Teacher Support Programs in India, got accepted at ICTD 2020!
  • Aug 2019: Completed a doctorate in Computer Science and Engineering at UW! 
  • May 2019: Our two papers got accepted at COMPASS 2019. Looking forward to visiting Accra!
  • Dec 2018: Our two papers got accepted at CHI 2019. Looking forward to visiting Glasgow! 
  • Sep 2018: Our paper, Fresh Insights: User Research Towards a Market Information Service for Bihari Vegetable Farmers, is accepted at ICTD 2019.  
  • Jun 2018: Honored to be a finalist for the 2018 Graduate School Medal award! Thank you UW!
Ph.D. Students 
Rama Adithya Varanasi in front of a mountain.
Rama Adithya Varanasi
A smiling Joy Ming.
Joy Ming
Farhana Shahid in front of a bookshelf.
Farhana Shahid
A smiling Chinasa Okolo.
Chinasa Okolo
M.S. Students
A smiling Srujana Kamath.
Srujana Kamath (Remote RA)
Sarrah Ali
Sarrah Ali