William Christopher Payne

Dr. William (Willie) Payne is an Assistant Professor of User Experience and Design at the UNC School of Information and Library Science. His research focuses on how technology can foster creative expression and empower individuals to express themselves in unique ways. Using participatory design methodologies, he collaborates with community partners to design and deploy innovative systems, such as danceON, a creative coding environment developed in partnership with STEM from Dance, and SoundCells, a music notation software created in collaboration with blind musicians. His research has been published in multiple top human-computer interaction (HCI) conferences, including CHI, ASSETS, NIME, and MOCO.

• 2023—Present·UNC School of Information and Library Science·Assistant Professor
  • Conducting research on how technology can promote creative expression, focusing on user experience and design, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and mentoring PhD students.

• 2017–2023·New York University·PhD
  • Music Technology
• 2011–2017·University of Colorado Boulder·BS/MS
  • Computer Science
• 2011–2017·University of Colorado Boulder·BM
  • Music Composition