I earned my Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of California in 1978. I joined the Department of Cognitive Science at UCSD in 1988. In collaboration with Professor James Hollan, I direct the Distributed Cognition and Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory. My research focuses on the nature of cognitive activity in real-world settings.

In 1985 I was awarded a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. I am also a fellow of the Cognitive Science Society. In my free time I am an avid surfer, sailor, and pilot.