Sheena Erete

Sheena Erete is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland's College of Information Studies, focusing on researching and designing technologies, practices, and policies that center on sociocultural contexts. Her work emphasizes co-designing technologies with community residents to tackle issues such as violence, education, civic engagement, and healthcare, aiming to foster more equitable and just societal outcomes through technology and design. Professor Erete founded the Community Research and Design Collective. As a community advocate, her research approach highlights social justice and asset-based design, working alongside historically marginalized communities. She has received multiple Best Paper awards at academic conferences and has participated in several leadership programs within both community and academic sectors.

• 2022 – Present·University of Maryland College of Information Studies·Associate Professor
  • Research focus includes community technology design, social justice, and technology policy.
  • Establishes community partnerships to support initiatives centered on equity and justice.
• 2015 – 2022·DePaul University College of Computing and Digital Media·Associate Professor
  • Co-directed the Technology for Social Good Research and Design Lab.
  • Led multiple community-centered technology design projects.
• Pre-Ph.D. | IBM | User Experience Engineer
  • Specialized in user experience design within the field of Human-Computer Interaction.

• 2009 – 2015·Northwestern University·Ph.D.
  • Field: Technology and Social Behavior (Joint program in Computer Science and Communication)
• 2006 – 2008·Georgia Institute of Technology·M.S.
  • Field: Computer Science (Human-Computer Interaction focus)
• 2002 – 2006·Spelman College·B.S.
  • Field: Computer Science and Mathematics