51社区黑料

鈥淲hen I was a graduate student, I discovered that I love teaching coding to non-technical students,鈥� recalls Megh Marathe, an assistant professor in 51社区黑料鈥檚 (SFU) Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies (GSWS), of what sparked their interest in becoming an educator. 鈥淚 encourage my students to work on projects that they care about. Often that鈥檚 using technology to address a community issue or to share their lived experiences.鈥�

Before discovering their passion for teaching and research in the social sciences, Marathe worked in technical roles at a variety of multinational tech companies and small startups. 鈥淐omputer scientists are mostly concerned with figuring out the technical aspects of a project,鈥� Marathe explains. 鈥淗owever, I believe we always need social scientists in the room because we are concerned with understanding how technologies impact our society and how we live our daily lives.鈥�

Through their scholarship in the fields of human-computer interaction and science & technology studies, Marathe aims to foster inclusion, particularly for marginalized groups. Recently, Marathe has published research examining topics ranging from how trans and gender diverse people are represented in university information systems, to , to .

We asked Marathe to tell us about their journey from big tech to academia, their current research, and what students can expect to learn about in their classes.  

Can you share the backstory that led you to where you are now?

I originally trained as a computer engineer at the University of Mumbai and completed a master's degree in computer science at the University of Toronto. While I enjoyed the software development process, I became increasingly disillusioned by the tech industry because of the goals companies were pursuing, such as creating and . However, because my training focused solely on the technical side of things, I lacked the vocabulary to express exactly why I felt these goals were harming society.  

My desire to study technology from a critical perspective led me to pursue a doctorate at the University of Michigan School of Information. Before SFU, I was an assistant professor at Michigan State University and President鈥檚 Postdoctoral Fellow at University of California, Irvine. I was drawn to the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies because of the opportunity to focus on feminist and critical analysis in my research and teaching.

How would you describe your current research to a non-academic audience?

One of my goals is to represent marginalized people in the practices and tools that experts, such as doctors and engineers, use in their work. Some of my research interest include trans studies and disability studies, as well as human-computer interaction and science & technology studies.  

Currently, I am examining how doctors use medical technologies to diagnose epilepsy patients. The new tools rely on a lot of labour by patients, as they undergo extensive testing to collect data and get a potentially life-changing diagnosis. I want to understand the experiences and concerns of patients, as well as how the experts interact with these technologies to make major decisions about patient care.

What is your approach as an educator? What do you enjoy about teaching?

I teach practical courses at the intersection of technology and society. My courses are for everyone. Through their course projects, students can build a portfolio of work that demonstrates the skills they are building.

At SFU, I teach courses on trans perspectives on digital technology, as well as courses about health, technology, and society. I really enjoy how my courses bring together a mix of students from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, as well as computing science, and health sciences. These different perspectives coming together leads to a lot of great discussions, and I love facilitating the 鈥淎ha!鈥� moments we come to together.

What can students expect to learn about in your courses?

In my courses, students will learn about how technology impacts how we live and work by critically examining the technology we use in our everyday lives. The technology we discuss ranges from social media platforms to medical equipment you might see in your doctor鈥檚 office or a medical lab, such as an ultrasound machine or a pulse oximeter.

We will also explore what can be done about the negative aspects of technology, and how we can use technology for good.

What is next for you?

I recently started a research project examining how trans and gender diverse people are represented in university information systems. Many of these systems were designed decades ago, so they can be challenging to update. We will be working collaboratively with stakeholders 鈥� including software developers, IT and administrative teams, and campus community members 鈥� to understand what it would mean to create a framework that meets everyone鈥檚 needs.

Another project I am working on is related to brain implants and epilepsy patients. Because the new technology is so specialized, there is the added element of having technical experts working closely with doctors to interpret complex data. These technical experts are often at patient appointments, so this changes the dynamic between patients and medical professionals. We are seeking to learn more about the experiences of patients, as they interact with doctors, technical experts, and the new technology.