As artificial intelligence capabilities expand, progress occurs where technology meets human connection. By connecting individuals across disciplines, a UT postdoc is helping shape research that not only advances knowledge but also strengthens the future of our communities.
Senjuti Dutta, a Postdoctoral Fellow working in the Center for the Dynamics of Social Complexity, recently served as the lead organizer of “The Future of Research in the Age of Human-AI Collective Intelligence,” a workshop held as part of the 2026 ACM Conference on Human-AI Complementarity and Alignment (HCOMP).
After joining UT as a Postdoctoral Fellow earlier in the fall, Dutta led the development of the workshop by creating the research theme, overseeing poster selection, creating interactive sessions, and more. The workshop attracted 27 registered participants from universities, research institutes, industry, and government organizations across both national and international landscapes.
Dutta explained that her experience leading this workshop was incredibly rewarding.
Building the workshop allowed us to bring together people who would not necessarily be in the same research community. One of my favorite parts was seeing conversations develop between people from very different disciplines. Seeing everything come together and watching people exchange ideas, make connections, and identify potential collaborations made all of that work worthwhile.
Dutta’s research primarily focuses on interactactions between humans and artificial intelligence capabilities. Her understanding of how individuals engage with these emerging technologies as well as how the systems are changing the ways we communicate and make decisions is vital for fostering healthy human relationships in the digital age. As AI technologies become more widespread, she added that this topic is especially important to her as she hopes to contribute research aimed towards careful consideration of them and how it can be developed in ways that support people and communities.
She added that her time as a postdoc has provided her with an exciting stage where learning, independence, and leadership begin to come together.
I am constantly learning from mentors, collaborators, and researchers from disciplines other than my own, while also taking greater responsibility for identifying important questions, developing new research directions, and building the collaborations needed to pursue them. Whether through research, interdisciplinary collaboration, organizing events, or bringing people together around emerging questions, I want my work to contribute not only to my own development but also to the intellectual community around me. UTK has been a particularly meaningful place for me to do that.
Senjuti Dutta’s work is one example of the research and expertise postdoctoral scholars contribute across UT, advancing knowledge, addressing complex challenges and helping shape what comes next in their fields. Visit our Postdoc Spotlights page to learn more about the contributions of postdoctoral scholars across the university