Elizabeth “Beth” Mynatt (1966 – ) is the executive director of the Institute for People and Technology (IPaT) and a professor in the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology. IPaT serves as a catalyst connecting industry, government, and non-profit leaders with Georgia Tech researchers to advance transformations in media, health, education, enterprises, and humanitarian systems. Mynatt also founded and directs Georgia Tech’s Everyday Computing Lab, which examines the human-computer interface implications of computation permeating many aspects of everyday life. Mynatt is internationally recognized for her expertise in areas of ubiquitous computing, personal health informatics, computer-supported collaborative work, and human-computer interface design.

From 2005 to 2010, Mynatt directed the GVU Center, one of the most prominent interdisciplinary research centers focusing on human-computer interaction, ubiquitous computing, graphics, wearable computing, and computer-supported cooperative work, among other areas. She has continued her work with the GVU Center as a professor and one of the principal researchers on the Aware Home Research Initiative, investigating the development of future home technologies.

The Initiative particularly focuses on technologies that would enable older adults to continue living independently, rather than seeking care in an institutional setting. Mynatt has made notable contributions to the development of cognitive prosthesis and technology support for chronic health care.

Mynatt also serves as the Vice Chair of the Computing Community Consortium, a National Science Foundation-sponsored effort to encourage the computing research community to envision and pursue bolder research challenges. Mynatt was elected to the CHI Academy in 2009 and chaired the 2010 ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. In 2015, Mynatt was named an ACM Fellow “for contributions to human-centered computing and to the development of health information technologies.”

“Elizabeth Mynatt was trained in a supportive community – including her advisor, Jim Foley, in particular – that already valued human-centered computing.  She has maintained her connection with Georgia Tech as she went from junior to senior roles, taking on leadership for the Institute for People and Technology and on a national level within the Computing Research Association. Through focused efforts and hard work, she now inspires the next generation of HCI researchers with sensitivity to family, home, and community.” – Ben Shneiderman

Elizabeth Mynatt with Peter Gregor and Alan Newell at the ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (ASSETS) in Arlington, VA on November 14, 2000.

Elizabeth Mynatt with Marilyn Mantei Tremaine and Elliot Cole at the ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (ASSETS) in Arlington, VA on November 14, 2000.

Elizabeth Mynatt and Scott Hudson at the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST) in Vancouver, BC, Canada on November 2, 2003.

Elizabeth Mynatt with Duncan Watts (left) and Scott Hudson (right) at the Computer Sciences and Telecommunications Board Workshop on Continuing Innovation in Information Technology on March 5, 2015 in Washington, DC.

Elizabeth Mynatt with Peter Lee and Barbara Liskov at the Computer Sciences and Telecommunications Board Workshop on Continuing Innovation in Information Technology on March 5, 2015 in Washington, DC.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Georgia Tech (1995)
• M.S. in Computer Science, Georgia Tech (1989)
• B.S. in Computer Science, North Carolina State University (1988)

Affiliations:

• Vice Chair, Computing Community Consortium (2014 – Present)
• Member, Microsoft Research’s Technical Advisory Board (2012 – 2014)
• Executive Director of the Institute for People and Technology (2011 – Present) and Professor (1998 – Present), Georgia Tech
• Director, GVU Center, Georgia Tech (2005 – 2010)
• Research Staff Member, Xerox PARC (1995 – 1998)

Links:

• Homepage
• Wikipedia
• Election to ACM CHI Academy 2009