# Katherine Panciera

> computer scientist

**Wikidata**: [Q56461280](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56461280)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/katherine-panciera

## Summary  
Katherine Panciera is an American computer scientist specializing in user experience design and evaluation. She is a faculty member at the Milwaukee School of Engineering and a researcher with GroupLens Research, where she contributes to the study of how people interact with technology.

## Biography  
- **Born:** *Not publicly documented*  
- **Nationality:** *Not specified in source*  
- **Education:**  
  - Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Minnesota (doctoral advisor: Loren Terveen)  
  - B.A. in Computer Science & Mathematics, Berea College  
- **Known for:** Advancing user‑experience research and education in computer science.  
- **Employer(s):** Milwaukee School of Engineering (current); GroupLens Research (research affiliation).  
- **Field(s):** User experience design, user experience evaluation, human‑computer interaction.  

## Contributions  
Katherine Panciera’s scholarly output centers on the design, evaluation, and measurement of user experiences in interactive systems. Through her affiliation with GroupLens Research, she has co‑authored a substantial body of peer‑reviewed papers that appear in ACM conferences and journals, as reflected by her DBLP author identifier (17/4438) and ACM Digital Library author ID (81332520112). Her research often employs empirical methods to assess how design choices affect user satisfaction, task performance, and overall system usability. By integrating rigorous evaluation techniques into the development cycle, Panciera’s work helps bridge the gap between theoretical HCI concepts and practical software engineering. Her contributions also extend to teaching, where she mentors undergraduate and graduate students at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, guiding them in applying user‑experience principles to real‑world projects. The cumulative impact of her publications and mentorship has helped shape contemporary best practices in UX research and education.

## FAQs  
### Q: What is Katherine Panciera’s current academic position?  
A: She is a faculty member at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, where she teaches and conducts research in computer science and user experience.  

### Q: Who supervised Katherine Panciera’s doctoral research?  
A: Her doctoral advisor was Loren Terveen, a noted American computer scientist.  

### Q: What are Katherine Panciera’s primary research interests?  
A: She focuses on user experience design, user experience evaluation, and broader human‑computer interaction topics.  

## Why They Matter  
Katherine Panciera’s work advances the scientific understanding of how users interact with digital systems, a cornerstone of modern software development. By developing and disseminating robust evaluation methods, she equips designers and engineers with tools to create more intuitive, accessible, and satisfying products. Her research influences both academic curricula and industry practices, ensuring that emerging technologists prioritize user‑centered design. Moreover, through her teaching role, she cultivates the next generation of computer scientists who will continue to embed rigorous UX principles into future technologies. Without her contributions, the bridge between HCI theory and practical application would be less cohesive, potentially slowing progress toward more user‑friendly digital experiences.

## Notable For  
- Earning a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota under advisor Loren Terveen.  
- Serving as a faculty member at the Milwaukee School of Engineering.  
- Membership and active research collaboration with GroupLens Research.  
- Publishing extensively on user experience design and evaluation (indexed in DBLP, ACM DL, Google Scholar).  
- Contributing to the education of computer‑science students in UX methodologies.

## Body  

### Academic Background  
- **Berea College:** Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science and Mathematics.  
- **University of Minnesota:** Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science; dissertation supervised by Loren Terveen.  

### Professional Affiliations  
- **Milwaukee School of Engineering:** Faculty role involving teaching, curriculum development, and research supervision.  
- **GroupLens Research:** Member of the research group known for collaborative filtering, recommender systems, and HCI studies.  

### Research Focus  
- **User Experience Design:** Investigates how interface design choices affect user behavior and satisfaction.  
- **User Experience Evaluation:** Develops quantitative and qualitative methods to assess usability, task efficiency, and emotional response.  

### Scholarly Output  
- Authored numerous peer‑reviewed articles (DBLP author ID 17/4438).  
- Publications appear in ACM conference proceedings and journals (ACM DL author ID 81332520112).  
- Maintains a Google Scholar profile (ID ‑B3SCDAAAAAJ) documenting citation impact.  

### Teaching and Mentorship  
- Designs and delivers courses on human‑computer interaction, UX research methods, and software engineering.  
- Advises undergraduate and graduate projects that apply UX evaluation techniques to real‑world applications.  

### Impact on the Field  
- Provides empirical evidence that informs best practices in UI/UX design.  
- Influences curriculum standards for HCI education at the undergraduate level.  
- Collaborates on interdisciplinary projects that integrate UX insights into broader computer‑science research.

## References

1. [Source](https://grouplens.org/about/people/)
2. [Source](http://katie.panciera.net/)
3. [Source](https://www.msoe.edu/about-msoe/news/details/dr-katie-panciera/)