Azra Ismail, PhD
(she, her, hers)
Assistant Professor
Department of Biomedical Informatics
Hubert Department of Global Health
Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Email: azra.ismail AT emory.edu

Link to CV.

 

I am an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Informatics and Global Health at Emory University, where I direct the CARE Lab (Collective Action & Research for Equity). My research is on the design of data/AI-driven systems that target health equity for marginalized communities and care workers. I have a Ph.D. in human-centered computing and an undergraduate degree in computer engineering from Georgia Tech. I am also the co-founder of MakerGhat, an education nonprofit in India that aims to nurture the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs from underserved communities.

I am building an interdisciplinary lab and actively recruiting students and postdocs interested in HCI (human-computer interaction), computing or informatics, public health, and nursing. (Read more on how to apply).

As an interdisciplinary scholar, I engage in ethnographic fieldwork, participatory design, system development, and evaluation. I frequently draw on feminist perspectives when analyzing AI efforts, and center communities that have been pushed to the margins on account of gender, race, class, religion, caste, rurality, and more. My research has entailed developing long-term relationships with communities, non-profit organizations, and industry actors. I have been fortunate to receive several honors for this work, including the Google Award for Inclusion Research, the ACM SIGCHI Dissertation Award, and Forbes 30 under 30 Asia. I was also named to the list of 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics, and 75 Women in STEAM by the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India.

I am always happy to talk about research and practice on technology, care, and global “development”, and to support young researchers and social entrepreneurs!

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Academia can be an inspiring environment for those passionate about research, but it is often filled with opaque processes and unwritten norms. To make this hidden curriculum accessible, I have compiled some advice for prospective PhD applicants and made my faculty job market materials openly available.