Digital Interactions Lab (DIL), University of Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Digital Interactions Lab (DIL) is a research group within the Informatics Institute at the University of Amsterdam. There is a lot of potentially very exciting research taking place in areas such as AI, machine learning, natural language understanding and the Internet of Things. However, the advances in these areas are not making the impact that they might in fields such as education and healthcare. Our research bridges the gap between the technology-oriented and market-led formulation of the smart agenda with a sociological and psychological understanding of what people need artificial intelligence to be, and how data science might enhance our societies.

Hamed Alavi's research is focused on the future of human's interactive experiences with built environments. Particularly, he is interested in the engagement of computer science, particualrlty Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) in the evolution of buildings and urban spaces as they increasingly incorporate artificial intelligence, context-aware automation, and interactivity.

What are the specific attributes of building that HCI and Ubicomp researchers should take into account when shifting attention and scale from "artefact" to "architecture", from usability and engagement to occupant comfort across multiple dimensions (e.g., thermal, visual, acoustic, respiratory), and from (often) short lifespan or discretionary to durable and immersive experiences? These and other questions that embody the complexity of our interactive experiences with built environments define the scope of Hamed's research, which he has been developing with the notion of Human-Building Interaction.
Contact: h.alavi(at)uva.nl