Derya Akbaba a WASP PhD student at the division of Media and Information Technology (MIT) at Linköping University, received the Best Paper Award for the 2024 IEEE VIS Conference. This prestigious award is given to the top 1% of papers.
Derya, tell me about yourself and your research
In my research, I apply feminist theories to visualization research methods and practices, exploring how power and privilege shape the foundational assumptions of visualization research. I obtained my bachelor’s degree in industrial and labour relations, with minors in economics and cognitive science at Cornell University, and received a masters degree in computer science from the University of Utah.
Can you tell me more about the paper you’ve been awarded for?
The title of the paper is Entanglements for Visualization: Changing Research Outcomes through Feminist Theory and it’s written by me, Lauren Klein and Miriah Meyer (WASP professor). We will be presenting it in October at the conference in USA.
This paper leverages feminist thinking to challenge traditional assumptions about how people engage with visualizations. It emphasizes the importance of feminist values in shaping design and research guidelines, particularly considering power dynamics and neglect. Unlike previous prescriptive work, this research integrates feminist epistemology to reshape research design and outcomes. Central to the study is the concept of entanglement, which is explored through its history in feminist theory, its application to visualization, and a case study demonstrating its impact. The work aims to broaden the theoretical and epistemic foundations of visualization research by incorporating feminist theories.
How is it to be a part of the WASP community?
I have been a part of WASP for about two years now and I would say that WASP has supported me throughout my research, not only by helping me establish a network of researchers across Sweden, but also with opportunities to travel to international conferences and participate in a variety of invaluable research experiences.
Published: September 19th, 2024