Paul Parsons is an associate professor in the School of Applied and Creative Computing. His research is in the interdisciplinary field of human-computer interaction, with a focus on the design of interactive visualization interfaces and their use in complex sociotechnical settings. His work has been recognized with an NSF CAREER award and several best paper awards. He has been PI or co-PI on more than $2.2M in external funding, including NSF and NASA projects, and his research has been published in leading venues such as IEEE VIS, ACM CHI, and top-tier journals. He leads the Design, Visualization, & Cognition (DVC) Lab, investigating how designers think, create, and collaborate across domains involving uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. His work spans topics such as design cognition, design practice, user experience, judgment and decision-making, and joint cognitive systems.
As an educator, Dr. Parsons brings a reflective, student-centered approach to teaching UX design, visualization, and Human-Computer Interaction. He has developed over ten new courses and played a leading role in launching Purdue’s undergraduate major in UX Design, which emphasizes experiential learning, design critique, and real-world industry engagement. He integrates structured reflection and feedback into his teaching to help students build both competence and confidence. His teaching excellence has been recognized with a university-level nomination for the Charles B. Murphy Award, Purdue’s highest undergraduate teaching honor, as well as student-driven awards for mentorship. He has published widely on design pedagogy and is actively involved in shaping the field through leadership in the professional HCI education community, including the EduCHI initiative. He regularly mentors students through research projects, consulting engagements, and study abroad programs, and views teaching and mentorship as essential complements to his research.
Paul also provides usability consulting and UX design support through the NSF-funded Science Gateways Community Institute (SGCI) and its successor project, SGX3. Through these initiatives, he has led more than 65 consulting engagements with research teams across the U.S., helping to improve the usability and user experience of digital science platforms. He also delivers workshops, webinars, and training sessions on human-centered design, equipping researchers and developers with practical tools for improving user engagement and system effectiveness.
Academic website: www.paulcparsons.com
Research lab website: www.dvclab.net
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UnlhqOcAAAAJ&hl=en
