Debaleena Chattopadhyay, Ph.D.

Design.
Experience.
Change.

I am a computer scientist turned human-computer interaction researcher.

I like to make that distinction because I never thought of “users” during my years of training as an engineer. I would build things—and that was it. Did anyone use it? How was their experience? Could their experience be better? These questions never crossed my mind.

So I have spent over a decade asking those questions—and continue to think about them. Computers keep awing us with their prowess every day. But how will people use them? How will people benefit from them? How will society, culture, economy, and policies change because of them? How will we change? I ask these questions in my work—currently focusing on the design of technology for older adults and technology caregiving.

I believe good design creates better experiences that can ultimately change people’s behavior.

Connect with me on

Read my articles on

Meet my Team

As a faculty member in the Computer Science department at the University of Illinois Chicago, I work with a talented bunch of Ph.D. students. Read more about their work on Google Scholar.

More details about my research are in my full academic CV.

Current Students

Nina Sakhnini

(LinkedIn)

Tasneem Mubashshira

(LinkedIn)

Alumni

Chesta Dewangan, MS (LinkedIn)

Vibha Navale, MS (LinkedIn)

Hasti Sharifi, Ph.D. (LinkedIn)

Pantea Habibi, Ph.D. (LinkedIn)

Ja Eun Yu, Ph.D. (LinkedIn)

Eric Leon, MS (LinkedIn)

Mattia Chiarle, MS (LinkedIn)

Ramkiran Chevendra, MS (LinkedIn)

Debkanya Mazumder, MS (LinkedIn)

What's New?

June 2026

Full paper on LLM-assisted problem articulation for older adults seeking technology support conditionally accepted at ASSETS 2026.

May 2026

Our paper on patient-centered design recommendations for AI-generated discharge summaries won the Outstanding Paper Award at IEEE ICHI 2026 (Human Factors Track).

March 2026

Our NIH-funded work on patient-centered discharge summaries was accepted as a full paper at IEEE ICHI 2026.

March 2026

Nina’s work on the use patient portals among older adults was accepted as a full paper at IEEE ICHI 2026.

March 2026

My guest column on technology caregiving was published this past Sunday in The Washington Post. You can read the piece online or find it in print in the March 15th Health & Science section. And check out what Don Norman had to say about it.

February 2026

Two posters accepted at CHI 2026. Congrats Nina and Pantea!

December 2025

I was awarded the University of Illinois Chicago’s 2025–26 Teaching Recognition Program (TRP) Award. 

June 2025

I will be presenting our work on supporting the continued digital engagement of older adults at the GSA 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting this November.

March 2025

Hasti successfully defended her Ph.D. Congratulations, Dr. Hasti Sharifi!