Martez smiling and wearing a black shirt in front of a lush green background

Martez Mott

Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research

I am a Principal Researcher on the Inclusive Futures Team at Microsoft Research Americas. My research is in human-computer interaction (HCI) and accessible computing. My current work focuses on creating AI-powered technologies that help people work effectively without compromising their well-being.

I received my Ph.D. in Information Science from the Information School at the University of Washington, where I was advised by Dr. Jacob Wobbrock. My dissertation developed algorithms to improve touch input accuracy for people with upper-body motor impairments. It was supported by a Microsoft Research Dissertation Grant and a UW GO-MAP Dissertation Fellowship. Prior to UW, I received my B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from Bowling Green State University. I am a proud recipient of the 2024 CRA-WP Skip Ellis Early Career Award. To learn more about Dr. Ellis's legacy, listen to the Command Line Heroes podcast episode in which I had the honor of participating.

I am passionate about improving diversity in the CS and HCI communities. I was an inaugural teaching fellow at the iSchool Inclusion Institute, co-chaired the CHIMe 2020 Workshop, and served on the steering committee for the CHIMe 2021 Workshop. I'm a proud Detroiter and a fan of sports, movies, and books — especially those by Barbara Tuchman.

Selected Publications

Recent work and most-cited papers on accessible computing, VR, and touch interaction.

HandProxy: Expanding the Affordances of Speech Interfaces in Immersive Environments with a Virtual Proxy Hand Chen Liang, Yuxuan Liu, Martez E. Mott, and Anhong Guo. IMWUT, 2025. Exploring AI-Driven Affective Avatars for Autistic Adults and Adults with Social Anxiety in Virtual Meetings Tiffany D. Do, Martez E. Mott, John Tang, Sasa Junuzovic, Ann Paradiso, and Edward Cutrell. CHI Extended Abstracts, 2025. "I use video calling in all areas of my life": Understanding the Video Calling Experiences of Chronically Ill People Humphrey Curtis, Erin Beneteau, Edward Cutrell, Denae Ford, Sasa Junuzovic, Ann Paradiso, John Tang, and Martez E. Mott. CHI, 2025. Motionblocks: Modular Geometric Motion Remapping for More Accessible Upper Body Movement in Virtual Reality Johann Wentzel, Alessandra Luz, Martez E. Mott, and Daniel Vogel. CHI, 2025. A Virtual Reality Scene Taxonomy: Identifying and Designing Accessible Scene-Viewing Techniques Rachel L. Franz, Sasa Junuzovic, and Martez E. Mott. ACM TOCHI, 2024. "I just went into it assuming that I wouldn't be able to have the full experience": Understanding the Accessibility of Virtual Reality for People with Limited Mobility Martez E. Mott, John Tang, Shaun Kane, Edward Cutrell, and Meredith Ringel Morris. ASSETS, 2020. Accessible by Design: An Opportunity for Virtual Reality Martez E. Mott, Edward Cutrell, Mar Gonzalez-Franco, Christian Holz, Eyal Ofek, Richard Stoakley, and Meredith Ringel Morris. ISMAR, 2019. How Teens with Visual Impairments Take, Edit, and Share Photos on Social Media Cynthia L. Bennett, Jane E., Martez E. Mott, Edward Cutrell, and Meredith Ringel Morris. CHI, 2018. Improving Dwell-Based Gaze Typing with Dynamic, Cascading Dwell Times Martez E. Mott, Shane Williams, Jacob O. Wobbrock, and Meredith Ringel Morris. CHI, 2017. Smart Touch: Improving Touch Accuracy for People with Motor Impairments with Template Matching Martez E. Mott, Radu-Daniel Vatavu, Shaun K. Kane, and Jacob O. Wobbrock. CHI, 2016.
Best Paper Award — Top 1% of Submissions

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