Jacob O. Wobbrock

Jacob O. Wobbrock serves as Professor at the Information School and Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, where he has established himself as a leading figure in human-computer interaction and accessible computing. His research focuses on understanding and improving people's experiences with interactive technologies, particularly for individuals with disabilities. As director of the ACE Lab and founding co-director of CREATE, he leads groundbreaking research in mobile and accessible computing. His academic achievements include being named an ACM Fellow in 2021 for his contributions to human-computer interaction and accessible computing, receiving the SIGCHI Social Impact Award in 2017, and induction into the CHI Academy in 2019. Beyond academia, he co-founded AnswerDash, a venture-backed SaaS company providing AI-powered context-sensitive help, where he served as CEO for three years before its acquisition by CloudEngage in 2020. His work spans text entry, pointing, touch and gesture interfaces, human performance measurement, and virtual reality, earning him three lasting impact awards from ASSETS, ICMI, and UIST. Through his Coursera courses, he shares his expertise in accessible computing and human-computer interaction, making these complex subjects accessible to a global audience.