Jon E. Froehlich

Jon E. Froehlich

Professor, Computer Science
University of Washington
I am a Professor in the Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington (UW). My research in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Accessibility has been honored with multiple awards, including the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, Google Faculty Award (3x), NSF CAREER Award, UW College of Engineering Outstanding Faculty Award, and the PacTrans Outstanding Researcher Award. I have authored 100+ scientific publications; sixteen have received paper awards, including seven Best Papers at CHI and ASSETS—the top scientific venues in their respective areas—and a 10-Year Impact Award at UbiComp. At UW, I direct the Makeability Lab under the broad mission “to build and study interactive technology for a social purpose.” Our work has been featured in the NY Times, CNN, the World Bank, UN Habitat, Forbes, and other leading publications. My interactive textbook on “Introduction to Physical Computing” has been viewed 450,000 times from more than 209 countries, introducing learners to microcontrollers, sensors, actuators, signal processing, and machine learning through project-based learning. In 2022, I served as the General Chair for ASSETS, the leading conference on technology innovation for people with disabilities. From 2012-2017, I was an Assistant Professor in CS at the University of Maryland.

Recent Projects

BodyVis

2012 – 2019

HandSight

2013 – 2018

Project Sidewalk

2012 – Present

Recent Papers

Recent Videos

BusStopCV: A Real-time AI Assistant for Labeling Bus Stop Features in Streetscape Imagery

ProtoSound: A Personalized and Scalable Sound Recognition System for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Users

Visualizing Urban Accessibility: Investigating Multi-Stakeholder Perspectives through a Map-based Design Probe Study

Recent Talks

Project Sidewalk: Crowd+AI Techniques to Map & Assess the World's Sidewalks

Feb. 29, 2024 | NSF Smart and Connected Communities Panel on “Pathways to Transitioning Project Outcomes"

Nashville, Tennessee

At the Intersection of Disability Justice, Pedestrian Safety, and Health

Jan. 7, 2024 | 103rd Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting

Washington DC