about me!

Hi, I’m Matthew! I am a Computer Science PhD student at the University of Toronto working on information visualization and human-computer interaction. I am supervised by Carolina Nobre as part of the Human Interaction Visualization Lab and the Dynamic Graphics Project. Want to chat? Feel free to email me at varona[at]cs.toronto.edu!

Broadly, I am interested in how people interact with data in their daily lives. Specifically, I use the lens of visualization literacy to study the factors that mediate peoples’ encounters with data—both on an individual level (e.g. competency with visualizations) and a structural level (e.g. contexts of data production and dissemination). My current projects involve mapping out the landscape of visualization literacy and competencies, improving critical engagement with election data, and reimagining climate communication using subjective indicators.

Before U of T, I did my undergrad in computer science and interactive media at NYU Abu Dhabi. I also worked with Enrico Bertini on visualization for machine learning interpretability and Patrick Baudisch on adaptive interfaces for laser cutting. Before all that, I grew up in the Philippines.

My other interests include birdwatching, sewing, puzzles, urbanism, indie video games (especially roguelikes), music (see my most recently played track below), and vegan cooking.

p.s. You might also want to read my blog or check out my list of cool stuff on the Internet.
p.p.s. Can you find the easter egg on this website?