About me

I am a third year PhD student in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. I work at the intersection of accessibility and AI, particularly to enhance sound awareness for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. My research work is published at top HCI venues such as CHI, ASSETS, and UIST and has received a best paper award and an honorable mention. I am advised by Profs. Jon Froehlich and Leah Findlater.

Before starting my PhD, I completed by masters from MIT Media Lab, bachelors from IIT Delhi, and took a gap year to backpack 21 countries. Through publishing a critical reflection of my travel experiences as a hard of hearing individual, I introduced the unique method of auto-ethnography to the field of accessible computing. My biggest pride is the indoor navigation system for visually impaired users which was installed in Indian National Science Museum for two years.

Besides professional life, I am a scuba instructor. I also conduct DIY workshops—so far, 11 one-week workshops in six low-income countries, total 200+ students. Atleast two teams from these workshops have continued their projects and turned them into multinational companies.

Connect with me on email djain [at] uw [dot] edu or twitter.