SIGCHI-M is the Melbourne Local Chapter of the International ACM SIGCHI professional organisation – to bring together HCI and UX professionals, academics, and anyone interested in human-computer interaction.
Anyone is free to join. Please use the email link on the home page to connect with us and become a member
Co-Chair: Dr Deepti Aggarwal
Affiliation: Lecturer in Emerging Digital Health Technologies, Deakin University.
Expertise: Exploring the “sweet spot” where design, health, and technology meet.
Research interests: Designing playful and immersive interactions to encourage positive eating practices for children and adults.
SIGCHI Goal: Co-chairing the 2026 committee to foster a connected, vibrant, and inclusive HCI community across Melbourne.
Social Media: Dr Huawei Tu
Affiliation: Senior lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, La Trobe University.
Expertise: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Virtual Reality (VR).
Research interests: I conduct both fundamental and applied research, combining theory and experimentation to explore how to enhance user experience in VR with HCI technologies.
SIGCHI Goal: Enhancing SIGCHI Melbourne’s visibility and engaging the target audience through strategic social media management.
Co-Chair: Dr Esther Wilding
Affiliation: Lecturer in Communication Design, Major Discipline Coordinator for UX Interaction Design, Swinburne University of Technology.
Expertise: X Interaction Design, Design Innovation, Information Design.
Research interests: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), evidence-based design and assistive technologies.
SIGCHI Goal: Build a welcoming community that bridges the gap between HCI researchers and design practitioners. Make HCI accessible to a broader audience. Grow and diversify membership. Collaborate with neighbouring chapters.
Secretary: Ananya Alagh
Affiliation: PhD Candidate and Research Fellow at Action Lab, Monash University.
Expertise: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).
Research interests: I investigate how complex forms of practice and knowledge-intensive work can be captured, modelled, and operationalised through digital tools. My work focuses on developing systems to support meaningful knowledge transfer and application in real-world settings.
SIGCHI Goal: Support the growth of the SIGCHI Melbourne chapter and build stronger connections within the local HCI community.
Industry Liaison: Shiva Balachandran
Affiliation: Industry Practitioner
Expertise: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Service Design, with 17 years of industry experience and academic grounding through publications at OzCHI and TEI.
Research interests: I am most interested in HCI research with clear real-world utility, the kind of work that practitioners can pick up and use without needing to translate it themselves.
SIGCHI Goal: Reducing friction between industry and academia by creating genuine pathways for collaboration, so that research informs practice and practice informs research.
Co-Events: Dr Alison de Kruiff
Affiliation: Senior Lecturer in UX Interaction Design, Course Director for the Bachelor of Design, Swinburne University of Technology.
Expertise: UX Interaction Design, Design Education, Virtual Heritage.
Research interests: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), design education, design and affect, design for cultural heritage, and inclusive design.
SIGCHI Goal: My goal is to create links between industry, academia and students to foster learning for the next generation of UX researchers and designers.
Co-Events: Samangi Wadinambiarachchi
Affiliation: PhD Candidate at the School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne.
Expertise: Human-Computer Interaction, Human-AI Interaction, UX Design, Design Education.
Research interests: Human-AI Interaction, Creativity Support Tools, Creative Cognition, Design Education.
SIGCHI Goal: To connect with like-minded researchers and help build an inclusive CHI community where HCI researchers from Melbourne and beyond can co-create, collaborate and thrive.
Digital Media: Dr Adam D Walker
Affiliation: Lecturer, UX Interaction Design, and Course Director, Diploma of Design, Swinburne University.
Expertise: UX/UI Design, Design Education, Human‑Centred Design and Human–Computer Interaction.
Research interests: Design education, Design research, Generative AI and human–computer interaction.
SIGCHI Goal: To support the development of a professional and engaging SIGCHI presence through well‑designed, visually appealing, and human‑centred web experiences that clearly communicate SIGCHI’s mission, activities, and value to the HCI and UX design community.
VC Memberships: Richard (Rick) Skarbez
Affiliation: Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, La Trobe University.
Expertise: Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality experiences (VR/AR/MR)
Research interests: His research focuses on understanding the psychological, social, and cultural impacts of emerging technologies, particularly virtual reality (VR), but also augmented and mixed reality (AR/MR), artificial intelligence (AI), and related topics under the umbrella of human-computer interaction (HCI).
SIGCHI Goal: Nurturing and growing the membership of the Melbourne SIGCHI chapter.
Treasurer: Piumi Perera
Affiliation: PhD Candidate and Research Assistant at the School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne.
Expertise: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).
Research interests: Designing unobtrusive technologies that support meaningful human experiences in natural and experiential settings, with a focus on human-nature interaction, informal learning, and applications such as citizen science and environmental education.
SIGCHI Goal: Supporting and connecting early-career HCI researchers through collaboration, mentorship, and community-building within the Melbourne SIGCHI network.
Advisor Spotlight
Jeni Paay is the current advisor to SIGCHI-M, the Melbourne Local Chapter of the International ACM SIGCHI professional organisation.
Chapter Advisor: Jeni Paay
Affiliation: Adjunct Professor, Centre for Design Innovation, School of Design and Architecture, Swinburne University of Technology
Expertise: Interaction Design for mobile and emerging technologies.
Research interests: Research expertise in context-aware pervasive and mobile computing as it relates to the places we inhabit, the activities technology can enhance to suit the diversity of inhabitants that we are.
SIGCHI Goal: Currently VP Chapters for the executive committee of SIGCHI – overseeing development of and collaboration between chapters on a global scale.