Michelle Annett
HCI researcher by training, academic problem-solver by trade. I specialize in turning rough drafts into polished research, ambitious ideas into grant proposals, and reviewer feedback into something slightly less terrifying.
HCI researcher by training, academic problem-solver by trade. I specialize in turning rough drafts into polished research, ambitious ideas into grant proposals, and reviewer feedback into something slightly less terrifying.
These days, I spend my time helping students, professors, and researchers turn good ideas into compelling stories, successful funding applications, and impactful research through my consultancy, MishMashMakers Inc. During my postdoc, I explored how people acquire new skills in fabrication and making, while also investigating new input and interaction techniques. My PhD research looked at how multi-touch devices could be integrated into occupational and physical therapy programs, and uncovered some of the fundamental challenges of pen-based interfaces (dissertation). I also know a thing or two about virtual reality thanks to my MSc work (thesis).
I held an NSERC-funded Postdoctoral Fellowship in the DGP Lab at the University of Toronto, working with Dr. Daniel Wigdor, and at Autodesk Research with Dr. Tovi Grossman. I received my PhD in Computer Science from the University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Walter F. Bischof. Along the way, I spent time at Microsoft Research as both an intern and visiting researcher, working with Dr. Anoop Gupta and Dr. Paul Dietz. In 2011, I was a research intern at Autodesk Research, where I collaborated with Dr. Tovi Grossman, Dr. George Fitzmaurice, and Dr. Daniel Wigdor. I completed my MSc in Computing Science in 2009 and my BSc in Computing Science in 2007, both at the University of Alberta.
If you're looking for the long version of my story, including research, publications, scholarships, service, and evidence that I sometimes have issues leaving my desk, my full CV is available here.
If you're wondering whether I'd be a good fit to review a paper you're handling as an AC, SC, or editor, I'm generally happy to review work in:
One quick conflict-of-interest note: I'm married to Fraser Anderson, so I'm unable to review papers from Autodesk Research.
These days, I'm more likely to be found helping others get papers over the finish line than writing my own. As a result, my publication list grows at a delightfully uncompetitive pace. Nevertheless, here's a timeline of my publications and granted patents.