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
#11 Research Spending USA
UMD in the USA for Research Spending, Public Universities
National Science Foundation HERD Survey
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 here.
INFO Research News

UMD researchers and educators are working to improve AI and to understand how the technology is transforming the ways we teach, learn and prepare for an AI-driven world. (Illustration by iStock) via Maryland Today
Maryland Today: Spotlight on AI: UMD Transforms Every Stage of Education
November 4, 2025 | Maryland Today Staff | UMDINFO’s Wei Ai co-leads a UMD project using AI to enhance K–12 math instruction and teacher development

Chandler Colman ‘28 (left) and Samir Nazar ‘28 work on their final projects for “Knitting = Algorithms + Coding," one of 10 Maker Movement Approach to Computing classes offered this fall. The one-credit courses are designed to make it easier for students of all majors to learn about computing. (Photos by Dylan Singleton)
Maryland Today: Courses Bring Comfort to Learning Computing
October 23, 2025 | Maryland Today Staff | UMD | Karen Shih ’09INFO faculty bridge creativity and computing, teaching hands-on AI, coding, and design through the Maker Movement at Maryland