Advances in computing have made possible new kinds of collaboration, information exchange, and groups that were unheard of just twenty years ago. I apply behavioral and social science research methods and theory to understand these new phenomena, and the human factors dimensions of people's use of, and interactions with, technology. In my early studies with Lee Sproull and our colleagues and students, we learned how computer networking changed group dynamics and social interaction. Our book, Connections, described the indirect, secondary effects of using email in organizations.

CURRENT PROJECTS

HomeNet: a study with PI Bob Kraut, and others of the personal and social effects of household technology and the Internet on individuals and families. (http://homenet.hcii.cs.cmu.edu). This project has spun off to a related project : Participation in Online Communities. New webpage to come soon.

Multidisciplinary collaboration: Studies under an NSF KDI grant with my co-PIs Suzie Weisband and Pamela Hinds of distributed collaborations in science, business, and education. (http://hciresearch.hcii.cs.cmu.edu/complexcollab/multi-collab/multi-collab.html). This project has spun off to other new projects: NSF ITR Large-scale collaboration; NSF DST Multiple Task Trajectories. New webpages to come soon.

The Project on People and Robots: an ITR in human-robot interaction and design with co-PIs Pamela Hinds, Jodi Forlizzi, and Sebastian Thrun. (http://www.peopleandrobots.org)

Sara is Hillman Professor of Computer Science and Human-Computer Interaction at CMU. See photos from her Chair Presentation.