Robin Brewer

Robin N. Brewer is an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan School of Information and a co-founder and member of several interdisciplinary research initiatives, including the Accessibility, Human-Computer Interaction, and Aging (AHA!) Lab, the Center for Ethics, Society, and Computing (ESC), and the Digital Studies Institute. Her research focuses on the intersection of social computing, accessible design, and aging technologies, with an emphasis on investigating and designing technologies such as voice assistants, large language models, and interactive voice tools to support the social and informational needs of older adults and people with visual impairments. She is dedicated to improving the technology usage experiences of older adults, individuals with disabilities, and caregivers through design. Robin Brewer's work has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Google, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other organizations. She was a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan and has received multiple honors, including being named one of Popular Science’s “Brilliant 10” in 2023 and the Early Career Award from the CRA’s Anita Borg Institute.

• 2025–Present·University of Michigan School of Information·Associate Professor (Tenured)
  • Continues to lead the Accessibility, Human-Computer Interaction, and Aging (AHA!) Lab while conducting research across multiple domains.
• 2017–2025·University of Michigan School of Information·Assistant Professor
  • Investigated barriers and support strategies for older adults and people with disabilities in technology use and explored the potential of voice technology in information access and social interaction.
• 2017–2019·University of Michigan·Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow
  • Conducted research on accessibility and social computing.
• Previous Roles | Google, Microsoft Research, Facebook, IBM Research | User Experience Researcher
  • Contributed to the design and research of online communities and technology systems.

• 2013–2017·Northwestern University·Ph.D., Technology and Social Behavior
  • Focused on research in social computing and accessible design.
• 2010–2013·University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)·M.S., Human-Centered Computing
  • Explored user experience and human-computer interaction design.
• 2006–2010·University of Maryland, College Park·B.S., Computer Science
  • Studied foundations and applications of computer science.