UMSI Welcomes New 2026-27 faculty

The University of Michigan School of Information welcomes six new faculty members this academic year.

Five new full-time faculty have joined: 

Sarah Fox is joining UMSI as associate professor. Professor Fox will also hold the title John Derby Evans Associate Professor of Information, a five-year appointment, pending approval by the Board of Regents. Before joining UMSI, Fox was an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute. Her research examines how artificial intelligence, automation and algorithmic management systems reshape labor, governance and public infrastructure. Her work bridges human-computer interaction and science and technology studies by advancing inclusive visions for technological futures that prioritize worker well-being and collective agency.

Min Kyung Lee is joining UMSI as associate professor in January 2027 and will hold the Michigan Impact Professorship and Collegiate Professorship, pending regental approval. Before joining UMSI, Lee was an assistant professor at the school of information at the University of Texas at Austin. Lee has conducted some of the earliest research examining how algorithms are changing the way people and organizations make decisions, manage communities and shape society. Her work focuses on making AI more human-centered by developing approaches and tools that consider the needs and perspectives of the people affected by these systems.

Vidya Setlur is joining UMSI as associate professor, and will hold the a Michigan Impact Professorship, pending regental approval. The senior director of Tableau Research, Setlur leads an interdisciplinary team working across data visualization, natural language processing, machine learning and other areas. Her research explores how people interact with data and how technology can better understand user intent to make data easier to explore and interpret. Before joining Tableau in 2012, Setlur spent seven years as a principal research scientist at Nokia Research Center. She is also the co-author of Functional Aesthetics for Data Visualization.

Zehra Hashmi is joining UMSI as an assistant professor. Before joining UMSI, Hashmi was an assistant professor in the Department of History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania. She studies identification technologies in South Asia and how they shape surveillance, family relationships and governance. Her current book project examines Pakistan’s biometric identity database and how digital systems can influence definitions of family, citizenship and belonging.

Sarosh Manzar is joining UMSI as a lecturer III. A UMSI graduate and former instructor, Manzar brings more than seven years of product management experience across financial technology, healthcare and insurance. Her work focuses on developing and launching products, setting product strategy and leading teams across design, engineering and data. She currently works at Michigan Medicine, where she leads the development of a digital platform for clinical trials and explores how AI tools can support faster, more effective product development.

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