Hello! My name is Sarah, and I’m a researcher, teacher, and (aspiring) coach passionate about ensuring that technology serves us (and not the other way around). It’s my firm belief that all technology and innovation should be grounded in who we are and what we value. I research, educate, and coach to make sure technology is helping each and every one of us live a life according to our values and goals. Welcome to my page, and feel free to reach out!

Researcher

Too often, we feel like technology has a hold of us, rather than using it to live the lives we value. In my research, I explore how we can design technology in a manner that empowers us and puts us back in the driver’s seat. In particular, I look at how we can design systems to help us make more value-centered decisions when interacting with technology. To do this, I take insights from philosophy concerning human autonomy and translate them into design criteria, taking cues from other disciplines such as the psychology of decision-making, human-computer interaction, and value-sensitive design.

Teacher

In my current role, I’m lucky to have the opportunity to teach and supervise the engineers and scientists of the future. As an educator, I encourage my students to emphatically consider the future people who will eventually be using the technology they will be building, including asking the tough questions: who is this technology for? Who is left out? Why is the technology being built? Are there other solutions? If we want technology that serves us, we need empathic engineers and scientists that are attuned to and willing to anticipate our needs. I wish to continue helping others by nurturing the next generation of scientist, continuing to teach ethics to scientists and engineers and tune my skills as an educator.

Coach

In the future, I also wish to coach others on how to use technology in a manner that is fulfilling for their life or business. To accomplish this, I will be attending ICF-approved coach training course and develop a model to help others use technology in a manner consistent with their values. Stay tuned!

This website is a work in progress. More to come!