Research
Driven by the pursuit of new ideas and big discoveries, faculty, researchers, and students at the UMD College of Information (INFO) are combining principles of information science with cutting-edge technology to foster access to information, improve information interfaces, and expand how information is used. We tackle significant, real-world information challenges from diverse perspectives such as communication, information retrieval, policy, computer science, education, archives, business, human factors, law, humanities, and more. Our discoveries empower, inspire, and connect individuals and communities.
EXPERTISE AREAS RESEARCH GROUPS PROJECTS
Research Community
70+ Faculty and Researchers, 88 PhD Students, 12 Research Labs/Centers
INFO Research Groups
Research Performance
$36M in Research Funding from 16+ Funders; 50 Active Grants; 12 NSF, IMLS or DARPA Career Grants
Browse Projects
#8 HCI Research USA
UMD for Research Performance in Human-Computer Interaction (Publications, Citations)
EduRank (external link, opens in a new tab)
#11 Research Spending USA
UMD in the USA for Research Spending, Public Universities
National Science Foundation HERD Survey (external link, opens in a new tab)
Internal College Research Funding
Internal College Research Funding provides limited financial support to INFO Faculty, Ph.D., and Master’s students who have exhausted all other available funding sources to improve their research efforts. It also supports collaborations in critical research areas through advancing Research Interest Groups. Proposal applications are accepted yearly on January 15th, April 15th, and September 15th. Ph.D. students may also apply for additional research funding under the Doctoral Student Search Award (DSRA). More information about the DSRA and its application process can be found on the INFO Scholarships & Awards landing page.
INFO PhD Student Presenting Research Poster
Internal College Research Funding
- Emerging Research Interest Community (ERIC) [External Link]
- Improvement Grant (For INFO Faculty and Thesis Master’s Students) [External Link]
- “Beyond These Walls” Student Travel Awards [External Link]
- Dr. Frank G. Burke Endowed Graduate Research Award [External Link]
INFO Research News
College of Information Ph.D. student Lovely-Frances Domingo breaks down her research on Reddit communities, showing how AI can support volunteer moderators, but not replace them. Photo courtesy of UMIACS communications group.
UMIACS: AI Can Enforce the Rules. Can It Build an Online Community? (ft. Katie Shilton)
October 28, 2026 | Melissa Brachfeld | UMIACSINFO Professor Katie Shilton and Ph.D. student Lovely-Frances Domingo examine how AI can assist moderators while preserving human judgm …
Photo licensed by Adobe Stock via Supachai
Yahoo Life News: 62% of Workers Would Rather Their Kids Become Electricians Than Software Developers (ft. Katie Shilton)
October 27, 2026 | INFO StaffINFO Professor Katie Shilton examines how AI-driven workplace uncertainty is shaping tech workers’ career advice for their child's fu …