Roel Vertegaal has been appointed Professor of Human-Computer Interaction at Radboud University’s Faculty of Science effective May 1, 2024.

Vertegaal will be teaching and researching the topic of human-computer interaction. ‘How can we design computers such that people can use them more effectively? My specialization is the invention of novel interaction techniques. For example, I invented the attention-aware interface in the iPhone as well as the foldable smartphone, which makes using phones a bit more like using paper. My chair will focus on the development of technologies that combat societal problems caused by the use of computers. A good example is smartphone addiction: attention-aware devices are a solution.’ To this end, the professor is currently working on a new theory for designing and testing user interfaces based on predictability of functions by the human brain, with applications in AI.