University of Michigan School of Information assistant professor Oliver Haimson has earned a 2024 Henry Russel award from the U-M Board of Regents. 

The award is given to faculty members who have “demonstrated an extraordinary record of accomplishments in scholarly research and/or creativity, as well as an excellent record of contributions as a teacher.” It is considered the highest honor for faculty at the early to mid-career stages of their career. 

UMSI interim dean Elizabeth Yakel made the announcement on Tuesday, July 25. 

“Haimson has demonstrated an extraordinary record of impactful achievements in research, teaching and service at U-M and internationally,” Yakel said. “He has translated his commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion in technology design into a vibrant research agenda that has made contributions to these communities and beyond. Haimson is also an enthusiastic and engaged citizen of UMSI, U-M, his scholarly community and society.” 

Haimson joined UMSI in 2018 as a President’s Postdoctoral Fellow. His research addresses issues of content moderation for marginalized communities and the experiences of transgender people online. Haimson is a pioneer in “Trans Human-Computer Interaction (HCI),” a research area that considers HCI through a lens of transgender theory and issues. His prominent work in this area has helped researchers and practitioners understand how to connect trans experiences to platform design and to be aware of how design decisions create inequities.

Haimson’s research has been published in numerous journals and his papers have received four awards for distinction, including the highly significant ACM CHI Conference “Best Paper” Award. Additionally, he received an NSF CAREER Award in his second year as an assistant professor. 

“It’s such an honor to receive this award,” Haimson says. “I’m especially grateful to my students, mentors and mentees who contributed to my nomination. It’s great to know that my research and teaching has had an impact on people at UMSI and beyond.” 

RELATED 

Read more about Haimson’s research, scholarship and contributions to the field by visiting his UMSI faculty profile. 

Learn more about the Henry Russel award.