Lecturer
School of Systems Engineering
University of Reading
Whiteknights
Reading RG6 6AY
UK

Tel: +44 118 378 7668
Fax: +44 118 378 8220
Email: f.hwang (at) reading.ac.uk
Office: Room 157

Research Interests

My research is in human-computer interaction (HCI) with a focus on information technologies (IT) for older people and people with disabilities. My interests are in developing technology that is accessible and usable, and investigating applications of IT where it has the potential to impact positively on quality of life, for example, by increasing independence or improving treatment or care.

I am the Reading principal investigator on the NANA (Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing) project funded by ESRC as part of the New Dynamics of Ageing (NDA) programme. NANA is a multidisciplinary project investigating tools for assessing nutrition, physical function, cognitive function and mental health. A new project funded by the Technology Strategy Board will investigate ways to promote and support adoption of assistive technologies. I am also involved in projects investigating interaction methods for "extraordinary" environments, technologies to assist in changing behaviours relating to substance misuse, and tools to provide personalised speech therapy.

Current Activities

I am co-chairing (with Clayton Lewis, University of Colorado) the Doctoral Consortium at the ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2011) which will be held in Dundee in October. I also serve on the editorial board of ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS).

Brief Bio

I was appointed as a Lecturer at the University of Reading in 2005. Before that, I studied at the University of Cambridge where I completed my PhD in the Engineering Department. I have BEng and MEng degrees from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada.