Ronald Baecker (born October 7, 1942) is an Emeritus Professor of

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...

and Bell Chair in Human-Computer Interaction at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

(U of T). He was the co-founder of the

Dynamic Graphics Project The Dynamic Graphics Project (commonly referred to as dgp) is an interdisciplinary research laboratory at the University of Toronto devoted to projects involving Computer Graphics, Computer Vision, Human Computer Interaction, and Visualization. ...

, and is the founder of the Knowledge Media Design Institute (KMDI) and the Technologies for Aging Gracefully Lab (TAGlab). He is the author of ''Computers and Society: Modern Perspectives'', published by Oxford University Press in 2019, co-author of ''The COVID-19 Solutions Guide'' published in 2020, and author of the latest independently published ''Digital Dreams Have Become Nightmares: What We Must Do'' in 2021.

Education

He returned to his alma mater to study Computer Science at MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and received his Ph.D. in June 1969.

Summary of research interests

Baecker is an expert in human-computer interaction (HCI),

user interface In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine f ...

(UI) design, software visualization, multimedia, computer-supported cooperative work and learning, and entrepreneurship in the software industry. Baecker founded TAGlab to research the design of technologies for aging gracefully and was a founding researcher in AGE-WELL, Canada's Technology and Aging research network.

Professional career

Between 1995 and 1998, Dr. Baecker founded the Knowledge Media Design Institute at the

Faculty of Information Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a division within a university (usage outside of the United States) * Faculty (instrument), an instrument or warrant ...

at the

. This was the first institute at U of T to address interdisciplinary issues within the production, creation, and distribution of knowledge media. In 2021, Baecker established Computers and Society. The inaugural board is chaired by Baecker, with Ishtiaque Ahmed, Casey Fiesler, Brett Frischmann, Uma Kalkar, Nicholas Logler,

C. Dianne Martin Carol Dianne Briggs Martin is an American computer scientist, former Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at George Washington University and first Senior Faculty Fellow of the North Carolina (NC) Study Center. She currently teaches at the Universi ...

, Dan Shefet and

Rebecca Wright Rebecca Wright (5 December 1947, Springfield, Ohio – 29 January 2006, Chevy Chase, Maryland) was an American ballerina, teacher, choreographer and ballet school director. Biography Her background in gymnastics and tap dance was a pivotal influ ...

as board members.

Honors and awards

* ACM Distinguished Speaker, 1 March 2022 - 28 February 2025. * Social Impact Award from the ACM Special Interest Group on Computers and Human Interaction (SIGCHI), 2020. * Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Association of Computer Science/Association d’informatique Canadienne, the national organization of Canadian Computer Science Departments/Schools/Faculties, May 2015. * Given the 3rd Canadian Digital Media Pioneer Award, GRAND Network of Centres of Excellence, May 2013. * Elected as an ACM Fellow, November 2011. * Together with Alex Levy, Aakash Sahney, and Kevin Tonon, second place recipient of the 2011 University of Toronto Inventor of the Year Award in the Information and Computer Technology, Social Sciences and Humanities category, January 2011. * Awarded the 2007 Leadership Award of Merit from the Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network (ORION) in June 2007. * Awarded the Canadian Human Computer Communications Society Achievement Award in May 2005. * Elected to the ACM SIGCHI CHI Academy in February 2005.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baecker, Ronald American computer scientists Canadian computer scientists 1942 births Living people Fellows of the Association for Computing Machinery MIT Department of Physics alumni University of Toronto faculty University of Maryland, College Park faculty Columbia University staff Massachusetts Institute of Technology staff American emigrants to Canada American expatriates in Germany