Dr. Kyla McMullen earned her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where she was also a Meyerhoff Scholar. She earned her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan. Dr. McMullen is the first (and currently the only) woman of color to earn a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan. She is currently a soon-to-be tenured faculty member. Dr. McMullen has a personal commitment to encouraging women and minorities to pursue careers in computing and other STEM fields. She is the cohost of Modern Figures Podcast, along with Dr. Jeremy Waisome. The podcast focuses on elevating the voices of Black women in computing.
Dr. McMullen’s research interests are in the perception, application, and development of 3D audio technologies in virtual and augmented reality. She has recently earned the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award to further support her research in this area. She is also the PI of an NSF S-STEM award to augment the financial load of graduate school for Ph.D. students.