KEYNOTES AT CSCW 2026
OPENING KEYNOTE
COLLABORATION IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER: A CSCW RESEARCH AGENDA FOR THE AI ERA
Hundreds of millions of people interact with generative AI systems every day, and adoption of AI systems continues to rise rapidly across myriad application sectors including entertainment, productivity, government, and education. Understanding the impact of human-AI interactions and using those insights to design new interfaces, devices, and policies that support individually and societally beneficial outcomes is perhaps the most consequential HCI challenge of our time, and it is a challenge that I believe the CSCW community, with its expertise that bridges social sciences and technology, is well-poised to address. In this keynote, I will discuss why I think the discipline of CSCW should expand to encompass human-AI interactions (and perhaps even AI-AI interactions!), and I will outline the key research opportunities and challenges for this expanded conception of CSCW to tackle. I will close by reflecting on how academic research can complement industrial efforts and have real-world impact in this fast-paced and high-stakes era of rapid technological advancement.
SPEAKER: MEREDITH RINGEL MORRIS
Meredith Ringel Morris is Director of Post-AGI Interaction Research at Google DeepMind. Prior to joining DeepMind, she was Director of the People + AI Research team in Google Research’s Responsible AI division. She also previously served as Research Area Manager for Interaction, Accessibility, and Mixed Reality at Microsoft Research. In addition to her industry role, Dr. Morris has a faculty appointment at the University of Washington, where she is an Affiliate Professor in The Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering and also in The Information School.
Dr. Morris has a long history of involvement with the CSCW community, including serving as the technical program co-chair for CSCW 2014, the general co-chair for CSCW 2016, and a member of the CSCW steering committee from 2012 - 2015. She has been recognized as a Fellow of the ACM and as a member of the ACM SIGCHI Academy for her contributions to Human-Computer Interaction research, including her foundational research on collaborative interaction techniques for surface computers, collaborative information retrieval techniques, and accessible technologies. She earned her Sc.B. in computer science from Brown University and her M.S. and Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford University. More details on her research and publications are available at http://merrie.info.
CLOSING KEYNOTE
A FIRESIDE CONVERSATION WITH PANCH: RETHINKING AND CO-CREATING THE FUTURE OF SCIENCE, RESEARCH, AND HIGHER EDUCATION
Join The Honorable Sethuraman “Panch” Panchanathan for an engaging and interactive conversation about why it is imperative for us to work together to rethink and co-create our future. Drawing on his extensive experience as the former director of the U.S. National Science Foundation and as a world-renowned researcher and computing leader, Panch will share his views on why we all share the responsibility for co-creating the future we want for ourselves, future scientists, and society. You are invited to join the conversation by submitting questions through Slido.
SPEAKER: THE HONORABLE SETHURAMAN "PANCH" PANCHANATHAN
Sethuraman Panchanathan is a computer scientist and engineer. He is a leader in the fields of science, engineering, and education, with more than three decades of experience in higher education and government. From 2020-2025, he served as the 15th Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), a $9.06 billion independent federal agency and the only government agency charged with advancing all fields of scientific discovery, technological innovation, and STEM education. During his tenure, he established the first new directorate in 31 years, the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, aimed at delivering “Innovation Everywhere for Everyone” by accelerating the translation of science and technology for economic progress, national security, and societal impact.
Panchanathan currently serves as the University Professor of Technology and Innovation at Arizona State University, where he has held a faculty appointment since 1997. His previous roles at ASU include leading the university’s research portfolio as the executive vice president of the ASU Knowledge Enterprise and the chief research and innovation officer. Panchanathan has received numerous recognitions for his scientific work during his career; in 2025, he was awarded the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards bestowed by the Government of India, in recognition of his distinguished contributions to science. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Inventors as well as a Member of the National Academy of Engineering.