Marzia Alizada
PhD Researcher · Department of Computer and Systems Sciences (DSV) · Stockholm University
I am a researcher working at the intersection of inclusive design and assistive technology,
driven by a lifelong commitment to building more equitable and inclusive societies.
My work focuses on developing assistive technologies for people with blindness and visual impairments, and on understanding the broader societal and relational impacts of those technologies.
About me
I was born and raised in Iran to Afghan parents who fled the war in Afghanistan in the early 1980s.
Growing up as a refugee shaped every dimension of my life, including the opportunities available to me, the choices I could make, and, ultimately, the questions I felt compelled to pursue.
My academic background is in Electrical Engineering, and after settling in Sweden, I later pursued a
Master's degree in Computer and Data Science at Stockholm University.
While the technical dimensions of that work were rewarding, I found myself searching for research whose impact extended beyond the computational, towards work that spoke directly to human needs and social justice.
The turning point came during voluntary work on inclusion and social participation in my local community
in Sweden, when I came across the announcement for my current PhD position in inclusive design.
It felt like a natural convergence of my background and the values I had carried throughout my life.
Today, as a PhD researcher at DSV, I investigate the development of assistive technologies for people
with blindness and visual impairments, and the broader societal implications of those technologies -
how they affect everyday life, relationships, independence, and social dynamics.
I draw on both quantitative and qualitative methods, and I am committed to research that is not only technically rigorous but genuinely meaningful, contributing to a society where inclusion is not an afterthought but a foundation.
Find me online
Research interests
Assistive Technology
Inclusive Design
Accessibility
Human–Computer Interaction
Visual Impairment & Blindness
Societal Impact of Technology
Quantitative Methods
Qualitative Methods
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Curriculum Vitae
Academic history, experience & achievements
⬇ Download full CV (PDF)
Education
2023 – Present
PhD in Computer and Systems Sciences
Department of Computer and Systems Sciences (DSV) · Stockholm University, Sweden
Research project: Inclusion in Societies through Collaborative Digital Assistance (2024–2029).
Supervised by Thomas Westin (main), Airi Lampinen and Peter Idestam-Almquist (co-supervisors).
Focus on inclusive design and assistive technology for people with blindness and visual impairments,
examining both technical development and the societal and relational impacts of these technologies.
Sep 2021 – Jun 2023
Master's in Data Science and Decision Analysis
Stockholm University, Sweden
Thesis: An RL-based Approach for Multi-Objective Decision Making in Wireless Networks.
Supervised by Sindri Magnússon and Shubham Vaishnav.
Relevant coursework: Risk Analysis and Decision Making · Machine Learning · Research Methodology ·
Research Topics in Data Science · Programming.
2013 – 2018
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in Telecommunications
Kashan University, Iran
Thesis: Design and Simulation of a Microstrip Antenna in CST Studio Environment.
Relevant coursework: Advanced Mathematics · Advanced Physics · Programming in C ·
MATLAB · Microcontroller Programming.
Work experience
Jun 2023 – Present
PhD Researcher
Department of Computer and Systems Sciences (DSV) · Stockholm University, Sweden
Conducting research on assistive technology development and inclusive design, with a focus on
technologies for people with blindness and visual impairments. Work spans both quantitative and
qualitative methods, examining not only the technical design of assistive systems but also their
societal, relational, and everyday-life impacts.
Jun 2021 – Mar 2023
Nurse Assistant
Leksand Kommun, Sweden
Provided care and support to older adults and individuals with intellectual disabilities,
developing a grounded understanding of the daily realities, needs, and social contexts of people with disabilities, an experience that directly informs my research perspective.
Apr 2020 – Jun 2021
Preschool Teacher
Daycare, Leksand Kommun, Sweden
Worked with young children in an early childhood education setting, fostering development,
inclusion, and learning in a diverse and multilingual environment.
2019
Robotics Instructor
Private Educational Institution, Iran
Taught foundational robotics to children, introducing core concepts in engineering,
programming, and problem-solving through hands-on activities.
Skills & methods
Qualitative Research
Quantitative Research
User Studies & Interviews
Participatory Design
AR Prototyping (ARKit / ARCore)
Machine Learning
Python · MATLAB · C
Academic Writing
Dari · Farsi · English · Swedish
Academic service
2025
Peer Reviewer
CUI 2025 (ACM Conversational User Interfaces Conference)
Reviewed submitted research papers on conversational and voice-based user interfaces.
Voluntary & community work
2024 – Present
PhD Council Member
PhD Council · DSV, Stockholm University
Contributing to the PhD student council at DSV, working to improve the doctoral research environment and student welfare.
2021 – 2023
Board Member
Swedish Afghanistan Committee, District Dalarna
Active in advocacy and awareness work focused on the empowerment of women and people with disabilities in Afghanistan.
Contributed to public manifestations and campaigns raising awareness of Afghan women's rights and the situation of people with disabilities in Afghanistan
(Falukuriren,
Dala-Demokraten).
2021 – 2023
Board Member, Student Council
Master's Programme in Data Science and Decision Analysis · Stockholm University
Represented students in programme planning and academic matters, contributing to curriculum feedback and student welfare.
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Research
Publications, ongoing work & academic contributions
Research overview
My research addresses a critical gap in how technology is designed and evaluated for people with visual
impairments. Rather than treating accessibility as an afterthought, I approach it as a design principle
from the outset. My PhD project, Inclusion in Societies through Collaborative Digital Assistance
(Stockholm University, 2024–2029), investigates how assistive technologies based on extended reality (XR)
can be co-designed with people with visual impairments to support not only functional independence,
but also meaningful social engagement. I am supervised by Thomas Westin, Airi Lampinen, and Peter Idestam-Almquist.
I am particularly interested in how assistive technologies integrate into users' social environments, not merely as functional tools but as artefacts that reshape identity, independence, and participation in society. I employ both quantitative and qualitative methods to capture the full complexity of these lived experiences.
Publications
For a full list, see my Google Scholar profile.
"But People Move Things Around": Augmented Reality for Wayfinding in Dynamic and Social Environments
CHI 2026 Workshop on Next Steps for Augmented Reality On-the-Move · ACM · Barcelona, Spain · April 2026
This paper presents a collaborative mobile AR system supporting indoor navigation for blind users.
Sighted users author navigable paths using spatial anchors, which are later conveyed through
spatialized audio cues; LiDAR-based obstacle detection enhances real-time safety. The paper addresses the challenge of dynamic environments where furniture is moved and layouts change, and proposes a community-driven approach in which spatial information is continuously updated, enabling socially grounded and adaptive navigation experiences.
Alizada, M.
Read paper →
A Systematic Review of Smartphone-Based Indoor Navigation Assistance for Blind and Visually Impaired People
AAATE 2025 · In: Technology for Inclusion and Participation for All · Springer, Cham · pp. 107–114
This systematic review examines smartphone-based indoor navigation systems for blind and visually
impaired individuals, focusing on technologies, techniques, and evaluation methods. Computer vision
is identified as an evolving technology in this domain, with RFID and IoT serving as valuable
complements. The findings underscore the potential of smartphones to enhance accessibility and
inclusion while emphasising the importance of user-centred design in development efforts.
Alizada, M., Lampinen, A., Idestam-Almquist, P., & Westin, T.
Read paper →
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