Ted Selker

Dr. Ted Selker is a renowned speaker and innovator widely recognized for his contributions to strategic technology development and invention. He currently focuses on sustainable technology futures, utilizing Transformermodelling.com for generative AI applications, enhancing usable security at institutions like RIT, UMBC, and CNRS, and developing ventilator alternatives through Peep-Alert.com.

Ted's professional journey is marked by significant academic and research contributions. He spent five years as a distinguished Professor of Practice at CMU Silicon Valley, where he established a PhD/research program and led the Considerate Systems research program. Prior to CMU, Ted was an associate professor at the MIT Media Lab, heading the Context Aware Computing group and co-directing the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project. He has also significantly contributed to the CI Design program and was an Adjunct Professor at Stanford, helping to create the People, Computer, and Design program. His work is acclaimed for showcasing how computers can assist in recognizing and respecting human intentions, often through concept product prototypes supported by cognitive science research.

Ted is actively involved in guiding and mentoring startups, typically starting or advising two or three at a time. His current projects include transformermodelling.com, ultrascanguide.com, usable security initiatives, and PEEP-Alert.com. Previously, Ted consulted as a Wizard for Magic Leap and directed research on Accessible Voting at the University of California Berkeley. His ten-year tenure at the MIT Media Laboratory was pivotal in his career, where he established the Context-Aware Computing group and directed the CI/DI kitchen of the future/design of the future project.

Known for his philosophy of considerate technology, Ted's designs focus on recognizing and respecting users' intentions. He has consulted for numerous startups and large companies, and his innovation workshops and speaking engagements are highly sought after. His track record of creating targeted, successful products led to his appointment as an IBM Fellow at IBM. His academic roles include teaching at Hampshire College, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Brown University, along with research stints at Xerox PARC and Atari Research Labs.

Ted's innovations, such as the TrackPoint in-keyboard pointing device and his contributions to operating systems and user interfaces, have led to profitable and award-winning products. His adaptive help system and visualization work have significantly impacted areas like the PowerPC and OS/2 usability. Ted's extensive patent portfolio, numerous awards, and frequent features in the press attest to his influential role in technology and design. He loves blending AI and user experience to create considerate systems that help computers and people work together. Ted has been honored with the American Association for People with Disabilities Thomas Paine Award for his work on voting technology and was a co-recipient of the Computer Science Policy Leader Award for Scientific American 50. Ted Selker’s career is a testament to his enduring impact on the fields of technology, design, and invention.