The UW Information School conducts meaningful and rigorous research examining the relationships between people, information and technology. Our research efforts are highly interdisciplinary, allowing us to respond to significant, real-world challenges and make a difference in the lives of individuals and communities. Ongoing work focuses in the following areas:

AI and Data Science

Exploring the development and responsible application of artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science to understand complex information environments; support decision-making, innovation and policy; and address societal, cultural, civic and organizational challenges.

Computational Social Science

Applying computational methods, large-scale data analysis and social theory to investigate human behavior, communication, networks and institutions, with particular attention to digital platforms, information flows and technology-mediated social life.

Critical Information Studies: Society, Culture and Technology

Examining the relationships among information, technology, power and inequality across social and cultural contexts, with a focus on justice, identity, representation, labor and the broader consequences of information systems in everyday life.

Design: Values, Methods and Theory

Advancing design as both a creative practice and a mode of inquiry, emphasizing values-centered approaches, participatory methods and critical theory to shape more equitable, inclusive and meaningful technologies, systems and services.

Digital Humanities and Culture

Investigating how digital methods, media and technologies shape the study, interpretation, preservation and public expression of culture, history, language and the arts, while also examining the cultural implications of digital media.

Digital Learning and Literacy

Exploring how people learn with, through, and about digital technologies, with emphasis on digital literacy, computational learning, knowledge practices and the design of equitable learning environments across formal, informal and community contexts.

Digital Youth

Understanding, supporting and enhancing the interactions of youth with digital information and technology. Fields of study include digital media and learning, STEM learning, child-computer interaction, information literacy, and youth-centered design, participation and well-being.

Future of Libraries, Museums and Archives

Exploring how libraries, museums and archives are evolving in response to social, cultural and technological change, with attention to stewardship, access, preservation, public engagement, community partnership, and the future of memory institutions.

Health Informatics, Well-being and Community Resilience

Examining how information, data and technology can strengthen health, well-being and resilience for individuals and communities, including research on care systems, public health, crisis response, recovery and equitable access to health information.

Human-Computer Interaction

Studying the design, use and impact of interactive technologies, focusing on how people engage with computing systems and how digital tools and experiences can be made more usable, accessible, creative and socially responsive.

Indigenous Knowledge and Data Sovereignty

Examining the intersection of information, technology and Native communities, with emphasis on Indigenous knowledge systems, cultural heritage, material culture, museum studies and data sovereignty, including community authority over data, stewardship, representation and access.

Information Systems and Organizations

Investigating how information systems shape organizations, work and institutions, including the design, implementation, governance and social implications of technologies that support coordination, collaboration, innovation, decision-making and organizational change.

Knowledge Organization and Infrastructures

Exploring how knowledge is structured, described, discovered and sustained through metadata, classificatory systems, infrastructures and information practices, including information seeking, retrieval and behavior across libraries, archives, platforms and digital environments.

Technology, Ethics and Governance

Examining the ethical, legal, political and institutional dimensions of technology, including issues of accountability, fairness, rights, regulation and the public interest in the design, deployment and governance of digital systems and data.