Swati Mishra

Overview

Dr. Swati Mishra is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computing & Software at McMaster University. Her research focuses on adopting Human-Centered Design for Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems to address challenges pertaining to aging population in Canada. As an applied computer scientist she designs, deploys, and studies interactive AI systems, that 1) help in early and reliable diagnosis of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s diseases through non-invasive biomarkers such as voice, and 2) provide improved mental health support through AI-supported expression and reflection of everyday moods.

Modern AI systems can significantly accelerate the scale and precision of healthcare services for older adults across country. However, these systems rely on Machine Learning (ML) algorithms which are often built in siloed organizational structures; trained by AI experts who often lack access to high-quality real-time data and have limited understanding of end- user context. Moreover, these systems are evaluated using machine-centric metrics like accuracy, precision, and recall that may obscure deeper performance issues. After being deployed in real-world applications, these systems are used as black boxes by end users who have limited agency in influencing AI outcomes. These limitations make it challenging for users to adopt AI systems in solving complex real-world problems, leading to serious ramifications on AI usability, sustainability, and reliability. In her research, Dr. Mishra addresses these challenges by building interactive AI systems and incorporating stake holders in the design process, thus, building models that align with the cognitive process and mental models of their end users.

Affiliations

• Member, McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA), McMaster University
• Assistant Professor, Department of Computing & Software, McMaster University

Education

• Bachelors in Electronics Engineering, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University
• MSc, Indiana University
• MSc, Cornell University
• PhD, Cornell University