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University of Washington Information School

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Research

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Information and Society

  1. Research Areas
  2. Research Areas
  3. Information and Society

icon representing information and societyHow can we do ethical computing research?  What practices should govern the management of data about vulnerable refugees?  How do information infrastructures contribute to the production of unequal or unjust societies?

In the “Information and Society” research area at the iSchool, we ask questions about the practices, discourses, and institutions which make information, data, and digital technology meaningful. Using a sociotechnical lens and humanistic, participatory, and qualitative research approaches, we work to understand how data, information, and ICTs (Information and Communications Technologies) are co-constructed within and across peoples, communities, and societies. Accordingly, we investigate a range of complex phenomena from development, marginalization, and risk to disaster, design, and education with specific attention to questions of justice, personal well-being, epistemic cultures, privacy, and intellectual property.

Researchers

  • Cindy Aden
  • Aylin Caliskan
  • Marika Cifor
  • Chris Coward
  • Ernesto Cuba
  • Lane Eagles
  • Karen Fisher
  • Batya Friedman
  • Ricardo Gomez
  • Tracie D. Hall
  • David Hendry
  • Anna Lauren Hoffmann
  • Madeline Jalbert
  • Joseph Janes
  • Ron Johnson
  • Chris Jowaisas
  • W.E. King
  • Mara Kirdani-Ryan
  • Lindah Kotut
  • Sandy Littletree
  • Adam Moore
  • Rachel Moran
  • Temi Odumosu
  • Nassim Parvin
  • Sara Sanford
  • Martin Saveski
  • Max Skorodinsky
  • Joseph Tennis
  • Mike Teodorescu
  • Stacey Wedlake
  • Heather Whiteman
  • Helene Williams
  • Yiwei Xu
  • Jason Young

Current Projects and Grants

Enhancing the Capacity for Environmental and Social Resiliency in Overburdened Communities

PI: David Hendry
Funding: National Science Foundation, Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC), $49,999
Dates: 2022-2023

COVID Data Infrastructure Builders: Creating Resilient and Sustainable Research Collaborations 

Co-PI: Megan Finn
Funding: National Science Foundation; $91,013
Dates: 2021-2022

COVID Data Infrastructure Builders

Co-PI: Megan Finn
Funding: Ford Foundation; $100,000
Dates: 2021-2022

Data Afterlives: The Long-Term Impact of NSF Data Management Plans on Data Archiving and Sharing for Increased Access

Researcher: Megan Finn
Funding: National Science Foundation
Dates: 2020-2023

Coastal Hazard Planning in Time

Researcher: Megan Finn
Funding: National Science Foundation, Early Grants for Exploratory Research
Dates: 2020-2021

Leveraging Use of Open Data by Public Library Staff for Community Benefit

PIs: Chris Jowaisas, Bree Norlander
Funding: Institute of Museum and Library Services, $100,000
Dates: 2020-2021

2020 Digital Infrastructure Research

PI: Megan Finn
Funding: Ford Foundation, $100,000
Dates: 2020

Female Leadership Research Methodology

PI: Maria Garrido
Funding: Ernst and Young LLP, $1,500
Dates: 2020

Digital Literacy Skills Assessments

PIs: Chris Jowaisas, Stacey Wedlake
Funding: Seattle Jobs Initiative, $5,000
Dates: 2020

Enabling Cooperative Cellular Networks for Distributed Internet Access

Researcher: Jason Young
Funding: Facebook; New Venture Fund
Dates: 2020

Life Histories of Labor and Resilience: 25 Years of Casa Latina in Seattle

PI: Ricardo Gomez
Funding: UW Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, $13,000
Dates: 2019-2021

Emerging Cultures of Data Science Ethics in the Academy and Industry

PI: Anna Lauren Hoffmann
Funding: National Science Foundation (NSF), $64,477
Dates: 2019-2020

Casa Latina 25 Years

PI: Ricardo Gomez
Funding: University of Washington Latino Center for Health, $3,000
Dates: 2019

Refugee Women and Technology Education in Seattle

PI: Maria Garrido
Funding: TASCHA Catalyst Fund (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), $31,260
Dates: 2019

Digital Skills for Digital Equity

PIs: Chris Coward, Stacey Wedlake
Funding: City of Seattle, $20,000
Dates: 2018-2019

The Development of Ethical Cultures in Computer Security Research

PI: Megan Finn
Funding: National Science Foundation (NSF), $336,058
Dates: 2016-2020

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News

Mason Koh, Kai Andreic, Asad Jaffery, Joshua Williams and Vaibava Venkatesan

Students develop tool to track kudos among co-workers

Wednesday, May 28, 2025
In today’s fast-paced work environment, managers often look for tools to make their jobs easier. For someone managing a large team, wouldn’t it be nice to have a tool that regularly provides summarized feedback about each employee?...
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Students (from left) Harman Zhang, Sara Duan, Justin Dong, Noa Avitan and David Pham

Informatics team helps music streamer earn money for artists

Thursday, May 22, 2025
For a music creator, getting paid by listeners around the world should be as simple as a fan clicking “subscribe.” But for many artists in less developed countries, existing streaming platforms make that difficult or out of reach.An...
Read more

Events

May 28
 
4:00-5:00PM

MLIS Law Librarianship Information Session

Zoom / Online
May 29
 
5:30-6:30PM

iSchool Library Leadership Spotlight Series: Melody Sky Weaver

Virtual
May 30
 
11:30-1:15PM

Faculty Meeting

Bloedel Hall 070
Jun 2
 
12:00-1:00PM

MSIM Mid-Career Last Chance Q&A

Zoom / Online
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