Pattie Maes, the Germeshausen Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT and leader of the Fluid Interfaces research team within the MIT Media Lab, has been presented with the 2025 ACM SIGCHI Lifetime Research Award. She is set to receive the award this April at CHI 2025, held in Yokohama, Japan.
The Lifetime Research Award is bestowed upon individuals whose contributions to human-computer interaction (HCI) are acknowledged as essential and impactful in the domain. Awardees are chosen based on their overall contributions, their effect on the endeavors of their peers, pioneering research advancements, and active engagement in the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI) community.
Her nomination highlights her commitment to centralizing human agency in HCI and artificial intelligence research. Instead of AI supplanting human abilities, Maes has championed methods through which human skills can be bolstered or augmented by AI integration.
Having pioneered the notion of software agents during the 1990s, Maes’ research has consistently positioned itself where human-computer interaction meets artificial intelligence, helping to establish the groundwork for the contemporary online experience. Her paper “Social information filtering: algorithms for automating ‘word of mouth’”, co-written with graduate student Upendra Shardanand for CHI 95, ranks as the second-most-cited publication from ACM SIGCHI.
In addition to her contributions in desktop interaction, she has an extensive portfolio of work focused on innovative wearable technology that enhances the human experience, such as facilitating memory, learning, decision-making, or health. Through a multidisciplinary lens, Maes has examined inclusive and ethical design practices while emphasizing the necessity for a human-centric approach.
“As a senior faculty member, Pattie is a key figure within the Media Lab, MIT, and broader HCI communities,” states Media Lab Director Dava Newman. “Her inputs across multiple fields, along with her steadfast dedication to enriching the human experience through her work, exemplify not only the interdisciplinary spirit of the Media Lab but also our fundamental mission: to develop transformative technologies and systems that empower individuals to reimagine and redesign their lives. We all honor this well-deserved acknowledgment for Pattie!”
Maes becomes the second MIT faculty member to achieve this accolade, joining her Media Lab associate Hiroshi Ishii, the Jerome B. Wiesner Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT and leader of the Tangible Media research team.
“I am privileged to be acknowledged by the ACM community, especially considering that it can sometimes be challenging for researchers conducting highly interdisciplinary work to receive recognition, even if many of the most significant innovations often arise from such a research model,” Maes remarks.