I am an Assistant Professor in Informatics at University of California, Irvine. I research, design and build technologies that empower people to engage in positive behaviors through a human centered approach. My work draws on people's lived experiences and expert practices to support the implementation of evidence based behavioral interventions. My research informs understanding on how technology can support healthy behaviors, and can be designed to support new ways of delivering interventions using technology. I am affiliated with the Connected Learning Lab and the Institute for Future Health.

My research was generously funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and UCI Internal grants.

I received my PhD in Human Centered Design and Engineering at University of Washington, where I was affiliated with the DUB Group and the UW Alacrity Center. I completed a MS in Computer Science at Harvard University, and a BS in Computer Science at Jacobs University Bremen in Germany. I worked on research teams at Microsoft Research, FXPAL, Intel Labs and NASA Jet Propulsion Lab.

I run initiatives to broaden participation in computing and engineering. I have grown the Outreach program in the HCDE department. I led students from University of Washington in teaching design and engineering workshops with thousands of K-12 students and teachers from across the Seattle area and Washington state.

I have been lucky to experience diverse international environments. I lived, studied and taught in Romania, France, Germany, Israel, Peru and the US.