Tawanna Dillahunt

I am a Professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Information (UMSI) and an affiliate faculty of Science Technology and Public Policy. Before starting as an Assistant Professor, I was a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at UMSI from January 2013 – July 2014. I also lead the Social Innovations Group at UMSI, and I am a member of the Michigan ICTD and Michigan Interactive and Social Computing (MISC) groups. I began my career as a software engineer at Intel Corporation before pursuing my Ph.D.

Pronouns

she/her

Areas of interest

My research focuses on the intersection of technology, employment, and community well-being. At the forefront of my earlier research is the development of digital tools tailored to the unique needs of communities facing economic challenges, primarily in Southeastern Michigan. My work also focuses on how digital technologies can benefit these communities by providing equitable transportation, support for migrant adaptation, access to healthful food and telemedicine, and remote work capabilities. 

Specifically, my team and I have developed digital employment tools that address the needs of job seekers with limited digital literacy and education; assessed real-time ridesharing and online grocery delivery applications among lower-income and transportation-scarce groups; and proposed models for novice entrepreneurs to build their technical capacity. Today, we are expanding our focus towards community-centric approaches, examining mentorship and digital literacy programs that empower economically disadvantaged communities. 

Honors & Awards

My career has been recognized through several prestigious honors, including being a 2022-2023 William-Bentick Harvard Radcliffe Fellow, a 2023-2024 MIT MLK Visiting Scholar, a Distinguished ACM Member, Kavli Fellow, and an inaugural Skip Ellis Award Recipient. 

Education

I hold an M.S. and Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction from Carnegie Mellon University, an M.S. in Computer Science from the Oregon Graduate Institute School of Science and Engineering (now a part of the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, OR), and a B.S. in Computer Engineering from North Carolina State University.