LAB’S VISION AND VALUES

What do we aspire to: Promote health equity through our innovative health technologies and by engaging in long-term collaborations with community members.

How do we get there:

  • Work with community members to co-develop innovative and equitable health technologies.
  • Create a vibrant learning environment where diverse researchers, undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. students can collaborate and support each other.
  • Promote equity through our work and research practices.

PhD Student Recruitment

The application portal is open.

I’m actively seeking highly-motivated PhD students for Fall 2024. All students will be fully funded for five years with full tuition, stipends, and health insurance. Our research will push the boundaries of digital health by conducting research on the topics of human-computer interaction, digital health equity, user-centered design, mHealth application development, applied behavioral science, and community-engaged research.

Which PhD program should you choose?

There are three choices to work with me as a PhD student. Your research will be the largely same regardless of the Ph.D. programs you are in. However, each program has different coursework and expectations. Here’s a quick summary of each of the programs:

There will be Zoom info sessions for potential students interested in the Personal Health Informatics PhD and Computer Science PhD programs. More information and how to sign up would be on this site. There is also a special session for equitable admission to CS to support applicants from underrepresented groups in computing.

Please review the programs and find the most exciting program for your career and life aspirations.

What will you do in your research with me?

Our research will involve designing and developing digital tools for preventive health as well as tools to change social determinants of health. We see health holistically. Being healthy does not simply mean the absence of illness. Being healthy is when we attain complete physical, mental, and social well-being.

For example, in my research, I develop and examine technologies for supporting family physical activity and for sharing health information. I also developed a visualization tool identifying neighborhood unemployment. These projects are conducted with low-socioeconomic status communities, who are burdened with many barriers to be healthy. Since poverty and low-socioeconomic status are often products of systemic marginalizations and racism, I work closely with racial and ethnic minority communities in Boston.

We will also work directly with communities and community organizations. I have been collaborating with Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition, Smart from the Start, and Boston ABCD.

Any other questions?

Drop me an email if you have any questions about collaborating with me as a Ph.D. student. Please carefully review my research projects and publications. If you see a match, please contact me.

Do include (1) some information about your background that’s relevant to the program(s) you’re interested in, (2) an intro about why you want to work with me, and (3) your resume or CV. Also, please, include [PHD INTEREST] in the subject line of your email.

Undergraduate and Master’s Students

Speaking broadly, we are open to students with the following expertise:

  • Qualitative interview and analysis
  • Android development
  • Python web development
  • UX design

This opening is closed. January 25, 2023. I am recruiting a Northeastern undergraduate or Master’s student to work on a short project about census data and Google Maps. An ideal candidate should have experience in using Javascript, Google Maps Javascript API, and Python.

Send me an email expressing your interest in this short-term research assistant position. The email must include (1) some evidence of why you are qualified for the position, (2) your grades on relevant courses, and (3) your resume/CV. The subject line must include [RA INTEREST].

Interested students should send the email by February 25, 2023, but applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.