Gabriela (Gabi) Marcu is an Assistant Professor in the University of Michigan School of Information. Her research focuses on understanding the role of technology in fostering social connection, building community, and caring for mental health and wellbeing. She is particularly interested in how technology can serve the needs of marginalized populations, and has worked on projects focused on responding to opioid overdoses, mentoring youth affected by gun violence, and supporting special education classrooms. In her teaching, Gabi uses project-based learning that enables students to dig into topics they care about in the community, as a way to learn about needs assessment and usability evaluation. Gabi likes to latin dance, karaoke, read on the beach, and she loves cats and dogs equally.