Leah Buechley

Contact


Physical Address

Room 2130
Farris Engineering Center

Photo: true

Associate Professor

Department of Computer Science

Personal Website

Education

PhD, Computer Science, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2007

MS, Computer Science, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2003

BA, Physics, Skidmore College, 1997

Biography

Leah Buechley is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of New Mexico. Her work explores the intersection of computer science, art, design, and education. Her goal is to engage broad and diverse audiences in understanding, designing, and building technology for themselves. She has done foundational work in paper- and fabric-based electronics and her inventions include the LilyPad Arduino, a construction kit for sew-able computing. Previously, she was an associate professor at the MIT Media Lab, where she founded and directed the High-Low Tech group. Her research was the recipient of an NSF CAREER award and the 2017 Edith Ackerman award for Interaction Design and Children. Leah received a PhD in computer science from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a BA in physics from Skidmore College. At both institutions she also studied dance, theater, fine art, and design.

Teaching Interests

  • Computational Design and Fabrication
  • Human Computer Interaction
  • Computer Science Education, CS4All
  • Ubiquitous Computing

Research Interests

  • Developing novel approaches to computational design and fabrication
  • Designing new technologies to support learning in STEM
  • Understanding how to increase diversity in STEM
  • Exploring the creative potential of computation