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General Information

Full Name Katherine W. Song
Affiliation University of California, Berkeley (→Delft University of Technology in Fall 2024)

Education

  • 2024
    Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
    University of California, Berkeley - Computer Science
    • Major area = Human-Computer Interaction
    • Minor areas = Computer Graphics and Vision, New Media
  • 2013
    Master of Science (SM)
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology - EECS
    • Major area = Optoelectronic Materials and Devices
    • Minor area = Biological and Health Sciences
    • Completed PhD qualifying exams, coursework, and teaching requirements (2011-2014)
  • 2011
    Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) with Highest Honors
    Princeton University - Electrical Engineering
    • Certificates in Materials Science and Engineering, Applications in Computing

Academic Research Experience

  • 2019-present
    Graduate Researcher
    Hybrid Ecologies Lab, UC Berkeley
    • Advisor = Professor Eric Paulos, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
    • Area of research = decomposable interactive systems
  • 2013-2014
    Graduate Research Fellow
    MIT Media Lab Biomechatronics Group & Charles Stark Draper Laboratory
    • Advisors = Professor Hugh Herr (MIT Media Lab) and Dr. Bryan L. McLaughlin (Draper Laboratory)
    • Designed and fabricated an implantable peripheral nerve microchannel interface for bi-directional prosthesis control
  • 2011-2013
    Graduate Research Fellow
    Organic and Nanostructured Electronics Laboratory, MIT
    • Advisor = Professor Vladimir Bulović, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
    • Invented an electrophoretic deposition technique to form thin layers of quantum dots (QDs) for light emitting devices
    • Fabricated and characterized record-efficiency near-infrared QD-LEDs using core-shell PbS-CdS quantum dots
  • 2009-2011
    Undergraduate Researcher
    Large Area Electronics Group & Verma Lab, Princeton University
    • Advisors = Professors Sigurd Wagner and Naveen Verma, Department of Electrical Engineering
    • Fabricated a top-gate staggered thin-film transistor (TFT) structure using a new hybrid material as a gate dielectric
    • Characterized the mechanical flexibility of TFTs made with the new gate dielectric on a plastic substrate
    • Designed and fabricated a TFT circuit to interface between large-area sensing sheets and nanoscale integrated circuit chips for structural health monitoring
  • 2008
    Summer Researcher
    Carnegie Mellon University Materials Science Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
    • Advisor = Professor James W. Schneider, Department of Chemical Engineering
    • Used DNA-surfactant tagging and capillary electrophoresis to sort carbon nanotubes

Industry Experience

  • 2022
    Technology Innovation Summer Research Associate
    Future Technologies Group, Accenture Labs, San Francisco, CA
    • Designed and fabricated a 100% backyard-degradable packaging system that wirelessly heats its contents
  • 2015-2017
    Display Electrical Engineer (full-time)
    Apple, Inc., Cupertino, CA
    • Direct Responsible Individual (DRI) for iPhone X display rigid flex PCB, from conception to mass production
    • DRI for iPhone X and Watch 2 failure analysis during assembly, software bring-up, and testing at factory sites
    • Prototyped and collaborated with vendors to develop new display and module packaging technologies
  • 2009
    Visiting Researcher
    Palo Alto Research Center, Palo Alto, CA
    • Host = Dr. Robert A. Street, Senior Research Fellow
    • Characterized and modeled organic bulk heterojunction and silicon nanowire solar cells

Service (Academic)

  • 2025
    Associate Chair
    ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
    • Design Subcommittee (papers)
  • 2025
    Associate Chair
    ACM Conference on Tangible and Embedded Interaction (TEI)
    • Papers Track
  • 2024
    Associate Chair
    ACM Conference on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST)
    • Papers Track
  • 2024
    Associate Chair
    ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems (DIS)
    • Papers Track, Artefacts and Systems
  • 2024
    Guest Editor
    Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI)
    • Special Issue on “Unmaking and HCI:Techniques, Technologies, Materials, and Philosophies Beyond Making”
  • 2019-2024
    Reviewer
    • CHI - 2021, 2022***, 2023**, 2024**, 2025
    • CSCW - 2022*
    • DIS - 2023, 2024**
    • ISCW - 2019
    • TEI - 2023, 2025
    • UIST - 2023, 2024*
    • (* denotes outstanding review)
  • 2022
    PhD Admissions Student Reviewer
    UC Berkeley EECS Department
  • 2020 & 2021
    PhD HCI Admit Visit Day Coordinator
    UC Berkeley EECS Department
  • 2020-2022
    Reading Group Organizer
    • Founded student group and led weekly meetings for Berkeley undergraduates interested in HCI
  • 2013
    Chair
    MARC2013 - MIT Microsystems Technology Laboratories Annual Research Conference
    • Led the planning and execution of a ~300-attendee, student-run annual conference
    • Spearheaded the introduction of new types of technical presentations and interactive fun/educational opportunities

Service (Community)

  • 2019-2020
    Volunteer
    Berkeley Humane Society
    • Supported shelter operations through facility upkeep and animal caretaking
  • 2018-2019
    Mentor
    Quarry Lane High School FIRST Robotics Team
    • Guided the robot design and program management for the 1st FRC team for Quarry Lane HS (Dublin, CA)
  • 2016
    Volunteer
    Nepal Volunteers Council
    • Set up a computer lab for a school in Kathmandu, Nepal by repairing donated units and salvaging parts

Honors and Awards

  • 2023-2024
    BEARGradS Award, William S. Floyd, Jr. Fellowship in Engineering
    Berkeley Graduate Division
    • Awarded to 1 new admit in the EECS department every year
    • 1 year of stipend, tuition, and fees
  • 2022-2023
    Berkeley Fellowship for Graduate Study
    Berkeley Graduate Division
    • Up to 2 years of stipend, tuition, and fees
  • 2019-2022
    National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship
    US Department of Defense
    • 3 years of stipend, tuition, fees, and travel
  • 2020-2022
    Innovation Catalysts Grant Awardee
    Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation, UC Berkeley
    • Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022
    • Total $3500
  • 2011-2014
    National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
    NSF
    • 3 years of stipend, tuition, fees, and travel
  • 2011-2012
    Henry Ford II Fellowship
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • 1 year of stipend, tuition, and fees
  • 2011
    Hertz Foundation Fellowship Finalist (1 of 50)
  • 2011
    Charles Ira Young Tablet and Medal
    Princeton Department of Electrical Engineering
    • “A memorial tablet to Charles Ira Young, class of 1883, has been placed in the Engineering Bldg. by friends of Mr. Young. The medal will be awarded each year to the student who excels in research in Electrical Engineering.”
  • 2011
    Peter Mark Prize
    Princeton Department of Electrical Engineering
    • “Awarded annually to a senior in Electrical Engineering, having an outstanding record in the area of electronic materials and devices.”
  • 2011
    Outstanding Materials Student Award
    Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM)
    • “PRISM’s highest undergraduate honor, the ‘Outstanding Materials Student Award’ recognizes the combined excellence in academics, research, and dedication to materials science.”
  • 2011
    Tau Beta Pi Prize
    Princeton School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS)
    • “This award is given to a senior class member, or members, who have significantly contributed a major part of his or her time in service to the SEAS.”
  • 2010
    Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship
    Goldwater Foundation
    • 1 of ~400 awardees
    • Up to $15000 for 2 years of undergraduate study
  • 2008
    Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence
    Princeton University
  • 2008
    Manfred Pyka Memorial Physics Prize
    Princeton University Physics Department

Other Interests

  • Hobbies: trail/ultra-running (50km+), rock climbing