Tawanna Dillahunt

Tawanna Dillahunt is an associate professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Information and holds a courtesy appointment with the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. Working at the intersection of human-computer interaction; environmental, economic, and social sustainability; and equity, she investigates and implements technologies to support the needs of marginalized people. She and her team have designed and developed digital employment tools that address the needs of job seekers with limited digital literacy and education; assessed real-time ride-sharing and online grocery delivery applications among lower-income and transportation-scarce groups; and proposed models for novice entrepreneurs to build their technical capacity. 

Drawing from critical design theories, Afrofuturism, and community-based research, Dillahunt will document alternative economic futures that Black and Brown Detroiters imagined through a series of workshops using speculative design. She plans to engage and work with Radcliffe scholars, artists, and practitioners to explore the multiple ways to document and raise the visibility of these futures beyond traditional academic publications. 

Dillahunt holds a PhD and MS in human-computer interaction from Carnegie Mellon University, an MS in computer science from Oregon Health & Science University, and a BS in computer engineering from North Carolina State University. Dillahunt is an inaugural recipient of the Skip Ellis Early Career Award and an ACM Distinguished Member.