Scholar in residence 1 August 2026 – 31 July May 2027
Katia Vega is an Associate Professor at UC Davis, where she directs the Interactive Organisms Lab. Her research lies at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction, design, and biotechnology, exploring how the body, biofluids, and chemically responsive materials can become sites and substrates for interaction. Her research contributions include Beauty Technology, embedding electronics into cosmetics for new body-worn devices; Biocosmetic Interfaces, transforming everyday cosmetics such as lipstick, nail polish and permanent tattoos into chemical biosensors for body fluids; and Growable Interfaces, exploring bio-based and living materials as substrates for sustainable interactive systems.
She was a Postdoctoral Associate at the MIT Media Lab (USA) and a researcher in the Fine Arts Department at Hong Kong Baptist University (Hong Kong). She received her PhD and master’s degree in Computer Science from PUC-Rio (Brazil) and completed her undergraduate studies at UNMSM (Peru). Her research has received the NSF CAREER Award, Johnson & Johnson Women in STEM2D Scholars Award, SXSW Interactive Award, Ars Electronica Prix Honorable Mention, Cnet Most Influential Latinos in Tech and MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 recognition. Her work has been exhibited at Ars Electronica, the Barbican Centre in London, Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens, Tekniska Museet in Stockholm, and the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and has been featured by WIRED, VICE, Discovery, Arte, and CNET. Springer published her book: “Beauty Technology: Designing Seamless Interfaces for Wearable Computing”.
Contact: kvega@ucdavis.edu
