I am an Assistant Professor in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences and the College of Arts, Media and Design at Northeastern University, where I direct the Technology, Equity, and Accessibility Lab. My research in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) focuses on making collaboration, content creation, and learning more accessible and equitable for people with disabilities. In this space, I have investigated how accessibility is created and negotiated in the contexts of collaborative writing, creative making, and remote work in ability-diverse teams. I take a community-centered research approach combining in-depth formative studies (e.g., contextual interviews, ethnographic field observations) with iterative system building and evaluation. Some examples of my recent work include developing spoken and non-speech auditory interactions for enhancing accessibility in asynchronous and synchronous collaborative writing, an audio-enhanced loom for accessible weaving, and an audio-tactile system for accessible pattern generation. I draw on Disability Studies literature to critically interrogate what roles technologies play in reshaping group dynamics and redistributing the labor of creating access in ability-diverse teams. More recently, our group has started exploring accessibility of generative AI for blind and low vision people, such as their use contexts and mental models of GenAI tools and alt text for AI-generated images. My research has been recognized with several Best Paper Awards and Honorable Mentions at premier venues including ACM CHI, CSCW, ASSETS, and IEEE COMPSAC, Google Research Scholar Award, the Daniel H. and Carolyn E. Ecroyd Fellowship, a CS PhD Student Research Award and research grants from Northwestern University and the University of Washington. I was selected as a Rising Star in EECS in 2021.
Prior to Northeastern, I was a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE) at the University of Washington. I completed my PhD and MS in Technology and Social Behavior (dual degree in Computer Science and Communication) from Northwestern University, where I worked with Darren Gergle and Anne Marie Piper. Previously, I received a BS in Computer Science and Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and worked as a research intern at Microsoft Research and a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at United International University, Bangladesh.
Apart from academic activities, I have always been passionate about music. I also like traveling and roaming around new places. Now and then I try to get a break from my busy schedule and set out for a tour with my friends and family.
Moy-trey-ee (Maitraye) Daash (Das). Maitraye means friendly in Bangla. Click the audio player below to listen to the pronunciation of my name.
Pronouns: She/her
Please refer to my Google Scholar page for a full list with citations.
Rudaiba Adnin and Maitraye Das. 2024. "I look at it as the king of knowledge": How Blind People Use and Understand Generative AI Tools. To appear in Proceedings of the International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, (ASSETS '24).
Maitraye Das, Abigale Stangl, and Leah Findlater. 2024. "That comes with a huge career cost": Understanding Collaborative Ideation Experiences of Disabled Professionals. In Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, (CSCW '24). [ACM DL Link]
Maitraye Das, Alex Fiannaca, Meredith Ringel Morris, Shaun Kane, and Cynthia Bennett. 2024. From Provenance to Aberrations: Image Creator and Screen Reader User Perspectives on Alt Text for AI-Generated Images. In Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’24). [ACM DL Link] [Video]
Kiley Sobel, Maitraye Das, Sara Behbakht, and Julie Kientz. 2024. Incloodle-Classroom: Technology for Inclusive Joint Media Engagement in a Neurodiverse Kindergarten Classroom. To appear in ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI). [ACM DL Link]
Maitraye Das, Darren Gergle, and Anne Marie Piper. 2023. Simphony: Enhancing Accessible Pattern Design Practices among Blind Weavers. In Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’23). [ACM DL Link] [Video]
Maitraye Das, Thomas McHugh, Anne Marie Piper, and Darren Gergle. 2022. Co11ab: Augmenting Accessibility in Synchronous Collaborative Writing for People with Vision Impairments. In Proceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '22). [ACM DL Link] [Video]
Maitraye Das, Anne Marie Piper, and Darren Gergle. 2022. Design and Evaluation of Accessible Collaborative Writing Techniques for People with Vision Impairments. In ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI), Vol. 29, 2, Article 9 (April 2022), 42 pages. [ACM DL link] [Video]
Maitraye Das, John Tang, Kathryn E. Ringland, and Anne Marie Piper. 2021. Towards Accessible Remote Work: Understanding Work-from-Home Practices of Neurodivergent Professionals. In Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, Vol. 5, CSCW1, Article 183, (April 2021), 30 pages. [ACM DL link] [Video]
*Best Paper Award
*Recognition for Contribution to Diversity & Inclusion
Kelly Avery Mack, Maitraye Das, Dhruv Jain, Danielle Bragg, John Tang, Andrew Begel, Erin Beneteau, Josh Urban Davis, Abraham Glasser, Joon Sung Park, and Venkatesh Potluri. 2021. Mixed Abilities and Varied Experiences: A Group Autoethnography of a Virtual Summer Internship. In Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS ’21), 22 pages. [ACM DL link] [Blog post]
*Best Paper Nomination
*Invited for publication in Communications of the ACM Research Highlights
Katya Borgos-Rodriguez, Maitraye Das, and Anne Marie Piper. 2021. Melodie: A Design Inquiry into Accessible Crafting through Audio-Enhanced Weaving. In ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS), Vol. 14, 1, Article 5 (March 2021), 30 pages. [ACM DL link][Video]
Maitraye Das, Katya Borgos-Rodriguez, and Anne Marie Piper. 2020. Weaving by Touch: A Case Analysis of Accessible Making. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '20), April 2020.
[ACM DL link] [Video]
*Best Paper Honorable Mention Award
Maitraye Das, Darren Gergle, and Anne Marie Piper. 2019. "It doesn’t win you friends": Understanding Accessibility in Collaborative Writing for People with Vision Impairments. In Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, Vol. 3, CSCW, Article 191 (November 2019), 26 pages. [ACM DL link]
*Best Paper Honorable Mention Award
Maitraye Das, Brent Hecht, and Darren Gergle. 2019. The Gendered Geography of Contributions to OpenStreetMap: Complexities in Self-Focus Bias. In Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '19), Glasgow, Scotland, May 2019, paper 563, 14 pages. [ACM DL link]
Nusrat Jahan Mazumder, Maitraye Das, Tanzima Hashem, Sharmin Afrose, and Khandaker Ashrafi Akbar. 2019. Towards Privacy-preserving Authenticated Disease Risk Queries. In the Journal of Information Processing, Vol. 27, (September 2019), pp. 624-642. [Journal link]
Maitraye Das, Nusrat Jahan Mazumder, Sharmin Afrose, Khandaker Ashrafi Akbar, and Tanzima Hashem. 2018. A Novel Secret Sharing Approach for Privacy-Preserving Authenticated Disease Risk Queries in Genomic Databases. In Proceedings of the 42nd IEEE International Conference on Computers, Software, and Applications (COMPSAC ’18),, Tokyo, Japan, July 2018, pp. 645-654. [IEEE Xplore link] [Video]
*Best Paper Award
Moushumi Sharmin, Monsur Hossain, Abir Saha, Maitraye Das, Margot Maxwell, and Shameem Ahmed. 2018. From Research to Practice: Informing the Design of Autism Support Smart Technology. In Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '18), Montreal, Canada, April 2018, paper 102, 16 pages. [ACM DL link] [Video]
Maitraye Das, Katya Borgos-Rodriguez, and Anne Marie Piper. 2023. A Case Study of Skilled Craftwork among Blind Fiber Artists. In Elizabeth Guffey ed. After Universal Design: The Disability Design Revolution. Bloomsbury. [Note: This work was supported by NSF grant IIS-1901456.]
Cynthia Bennett, Maitraye Das, Michael Madaio, Abigale Stangl. 2023. Intro to Popular Generative AI Tools: Opportunities and Challenges for Accessibility. In Accessible Technology Conference hosted by the New York Public Library.
Maryam Bandukda, Giulia Barbareschi, Aneesha Singh, Dhruv Jain, Maitraye Das, Tamanna Motahar, Jason Wiese, Lynn Cockburn, Amit Prakash, David Frohlich, Catherine Holloway. 2022. A Workshop on Disability Inclusive Remote Co-Design. In Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22). [ACM DL link]
Kelly Avery Mack, Maitraye Das, Dhruv Jain, Danielle Bragg, John Tang, Andrew Begel, Erin Beneteau, Josh Urban Davis, Abraham Glasser, Joon Sung Park, and Venkatesh Potluri. 2023. Mixed Abilities and Varied Experiences: A Group Autoethnography of a Virtual Summer Internship. In Communications of the ACM 66, 8 (August 2023). [ACM DL link]
Maria Hamdani, Najma Farrukh Hamdani, Maitraye Das. 2023. How to Enhance Productivity of Your Employees with ADHD in the Virtual Workplace. In MIT Sloan Management Review.
Maitraye Das. 2021. Designing for Accessible Collaborative Content Creation for People with Vision Impairments. In Human Computer Interaction Consortium (HCIC ’21). [Poster]
Maitraye Das. 2020. Designing for Collaborative Content Creation for People with Vision Impairments. In the 2020 Conference Companion Publication on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW ’20). [Doctoral consortium] [ACM DL link]
Maitraye Das, Katya Borgos-Rodriguez, and Anne Marie Piper. 2020. Rethinking Power and Politics in Accessible Making. In the 2020 ACM CHI Workshop on Investigating the Role of Critical Disability Studies in HCI. [Position paper]
Maitraye Das. 2019. Who Can See What: Privacy and Audience Management for People with Vision Impairments on Social Media. In the 2019 ACM CSCW Workshop on Addressing the Accessibility of Social Media , Austin, Texas, USA, November 2019. [Position paper]
Maitraye Das. 2018. Understanding Collaborative Writing Practices of People with Visual Impairments. In Proceedings of the 2018 ACM International Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp ’18), pp. 1744-1749. [Short paper & poster] [ACM DL link]
Maitraye Das. 2018. Towards Understanding the Effects of Social Networking on Postpartum Depression in Women: An Analysis in the Context of Bangladesh. In Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, Houston, Texas, USA, September 2018. [Poster]
Maitraye Das, Sharmin Afrose, and Tanzima Hashem. 2015. Protecting Genomic Privacy in Medical Tests using Distributed Storage. In Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, Houston, Texas, USA, October 2015. [Poster]
Maitraye Das, Sunandita Sarker, and Shahina Ferdous. 2014. SpeechAid: A Self-treatment System for Individuals with Speech Disorder via Mobile Application. In Grace Hopper Celebration India, India, November, 2014. [Poster]
*Best Technical Poster
I love music. Singing, for me, has always been a blissful escape, a way to unwind. Coming from a music-loving family, my journey with singing started at an early age. I mostly cover Bangla songs. During my undergrad years, I performed in several events as a member of Murchhona, the central cultural club of BUET. After moving to the USA, I performed in a number of student organized events in Indianapolis and Chicago. You can check out my Youtube and Soundcloud profiles below.
My travel enthusiast soul always wants to go places (in its literal sense). I love to spend my free time planning the itinerary of my umpteenth future trip, and whenever I can carve out a few days off my busy schedule (and the world is not going through a pandemic-induced lockdown), I put on my traveler’s hat and check destinations off my lengthy bucket list. My travels have taken me to mountaintops that reach the clouds, awe-inspiring glaciers, torquoise lakes, thundering waterfalls, and pristine beaches. You can find some photos captured by my partner during our travels.
Northeastern University
Khoury College of Computer Sciences
Room # 923, 177 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115, USA
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