SPEAKER: Katie A Siek, Professor in School of informatics, Computing and Engineering at Indiana University
 

ABSTRACT: Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is a powerful framework for centering the lived experiences, priorities, and constraints of marginalized and stigmatized communities who are disproportionally affected by sociotechnical harms. CBPR demands a shift from traditional researcher‑driven approaches toward long‑term, equitable partnerships in which communities engage in all processes. Effectively "doing" CBPR involves a substantial time commitment, often requiring researchers to spend years building the rapport and trust necessary for a mutually beneficial relationship. This collaborative process frequently encounters tensions rooted in mismatches between academic expectations, research ideals, institutional requirements, and community needs. Drawing on three case studies from vulnerable groups, I illustrate the evolving interpersonal, ethical, and sociotechnical challenges researchers encounter and highlight opportunities to co‑create practices that empower underserved populations to design systems for the future.

BIO: Katie Siek is a professor at Indiana University. Her primary research interests are in human computer interaction, health informatics, and ubiquitous computing. More specifically, she is interested in how sociotechnical interventions affect personal health and wellbeing. Her research is supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the National Science Foundation including a five-year NSF CAREER award. She has been awarded with the IU Trustees Teaching Award (2022), FACET's Mumford Excellence in Extraordinary Teaching Award (2021), NCWIT Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award (2019), a CRA-W Borg Early Career Award (2012), and Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance Distinguished Visiting Fellowships (2010 & 2015). Dr. Siek currently serves as an elected member of the Computing Research Association Board and appointed member of the Association of Computing Machinery Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. Prior to returning to her alma mater, she was a professor for 7 years at the University of Colorado Boulder. She earned her PhD and MS at Indiana University Bloomington in computer science and her BS in computer science at Eckerd College.

---

IPaT: GVU Lunch Lecture Series