Elizabeth Murnane headshot

Elizabeth L. Murnane

Charles H. Gaut & Charles A. Norberg Assistant Professor of Engineering

Overview

Professor Murnane specializes in human-centered design (HCD) and human-computer interaction (HCI). Her research focuses on the design, engineering, and evaluation of technologies aimed at promoting both human wellbeing and the welfare of the natural environment on which all life depends. At Thayer, Elizabeth directs the Empower Lab, which develops interactive, data-driven tools that empower people to individually and collaboratively collect, make sense of, and act upon information, with an emphasis on societally impactful applications in health, education, civics, and sustainability.

Before joining the Dartmouth faculty, Elizabeth was a postdoctoral scholar in computer science at Stanford University and received her PhD in information science from Cornell University. After completing her undergraduate degree at MIT, Elizabeth also spent 4 years as the lead engineer and head of experimental features of a CSAIL startup that built interactive visualization tools to help software developers make sense of complex codebases. Elizabeth's work continues to emphasize translational approaches that seek opportunities to meaningfully engage with and positively shape industry practices, local communities, and policy-making. Additional research materials, details about current projects, and ways to get involved are available from her website.

Research Interests

Human-centered design, human-computer interaction, ubiquitous computing, personal informatics, social computing

Education

  • SB, Mathematics with Computer Science, MIT 2007
  • PhD, Information Science, Cornell University 2017
  • Postdoctoral Scholar, Computer Science, Stanford University 2020

Courses

  • ENGS 21: Introduction to Engineering
  • ENGM 191: Product Design and Development