Daniel Hajas

Introduction Education Employment Research Volunteering Achievements Publications

Introduction

Welcome, my name is Daniel, and the Project27 Skills vision is my vision too.

I was born in 1994 with healthy eye sight. However, I do not remember what it was like to see perfectly. I was very young when my sight started to deteriorate. By the age of sixteen, I was completely blind. Yet, with invaluable support from family, friends, teachers, innovators and technological advances, I was able to live for my passion - science, and maintaining human relationships.

I graduated as a theoretical physicist. I went on and enrolled to study for a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction, specifically haptic interaction, applied to the field of science communication. I am fortunate to have many valuable friends and colleagues. I live independently in England, United Kingdom, and speak english as my second language on daily bases.

It was not easy to come so far. I consider myself incredibly lucky, and merely clever. I wouldn’t be where I am now, without all the support I received, and now it is time for me to start returning the favour for anyone who might benefit from it. This is why I created Project27 Skills, which is a place where I can start offering my support, alongside like-minded, talented volunteers.

The Project27 Skills Blog is where I express my opinion, insights, and experiences. The Blog serves two purposes.

Firstly, to log things I learn during the development of this project, since learning never ends. I started this project to help others, but also to carry on improving my own skills.

Secondly, I’d like to hint a key notion through the TWIST series. A person is a set of identities. As a good friend of mine once said:

“Daniel, you are 50 shades of Daniel”.

I want to show that, a scientist is not just a “scientist”. A blind person is not just a “blind” person. I want to show, through my journey what any blind person can do if they find the way. A blind person can cook delicious meals, a blind person can study and work in sciences, a blind person can be active in journalism and audio editing. A blind person can also learn to programme, study human psychology, and perform statistical analysis for data science.

Some of these life style stories will come through the pipeline of the TWIST blog, and some through notes of the Project27 Skills Guide. If the Blog is where I offer food for thought, then the Guide is where I wish to help people get things done. My solutions are not the only path, but they are the ones that helped me overcome challenges; let it be a question in performing a scientific task, or a matter of lifestyle.

The Guide is a first small step in offering descriptions of ways to do things, even if one lives with a vision impairment. However, as Project27 Skills evolves, I foresee the possibility of offering a more personalised support to individuals with sight loss and their families. This might happen through online meetings or in person, in forms of tutorial sessions, hands on workshops, or simply a friendly discussion of opportunities and challenges.

There is one overarching theme though. Project27 Skills is a place for life-long learning. I learn, so I can create. I create, so I can discover new challenges. I search for solutions of challenges I discovered. I constantly develop the skills that matter to me. This is a source of enjoyment, a sense of flow, while I open up employment opportunities.

I truly wish that the content and the spirit of Project27 Skills will become not only my own, but a shared vision of many. Get involved, to develop skills that matter to you.

So long, all the best!

Daniel

Education

Let me introduce where I came from, what study and career path I’ve taken, and what causes interest me.

Childhood - Path to university

I was born in Hungary, where I lived my childhood. Prior to moving to Brighton (England) in 2013, I also lived eight years in Zagreb (Croatia). This is where I completed my secondary school education and obtained my diploma from the International Baccalaureate. I studied in a highly international community, and started to develop an interest in sciences, such as mathematics and fundamental physics. In 2010 due to medical conditions I lost my sight.

University - Path to research

From physics to computer science, but science nevertheless.

Master of Theoretical Physics at the University of Sussex

In 2017 I graduated with a first class honours, Master of theoretical physics degree. Although fundamental physics studies was very satisfying and a great opportunity to acquire skills for solving problems, I also developed an interest in touch technologies. This has led to my early research interest in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and haptic interfaces in context of science communication.

As a transition from my undergraduate to PhD studentship, in my master year I focused on a science communication project under the supervision of Prof Kathy Romer.

Doctor of Philosophy in Informatics at the Sussex Computer and Human Interactions Lab

Between 2017 and 2021 I have completed a PhD in Informatics, under the supervision of Prof Marianna Obrist at the Sussex Computer and Human Interactions (SCHI) laboratory. My thesis discussed ultrasonic mid-air haptics in context of science communication. The research was funded by Ultraleap Limited.

Employment - Path to career

I have had numerous paid employment experiences.

1. Innovation Manager at Global Disability Innovation Hub (since November 2021)

Since 2021, I am employed by University College London (UCL) to work with the Global Disability Innovation (GDI) Hub as an innovation manager. My role is to operationalise innovation activities ran by the academic research centre and community interest company of GDI Hub.

2. Research placement at Ultraleap Ltd (October 2020 – December 2020)

I worked for Ultraleap Ltd, the company funding and supporting my PhD studies, for the duration of a contracted research placement. I joined the research team, investigating haptic perception and haptic technology. My role involved designing and running user studies on improved haptic icon recognition, based on some of my own prior research findings. I was also tasked with supporting various working groups across the company to implement research outcomes in product solutions.

3. Co-founder and CEO of Grapheel Ltd (September 2014 – October 2019)

After carrying out undergraduate research related to the concept of a tactile graphics Display to assist visually impaired science students, I developed the grapheel.com project (2014). The initiative matured into a scalable not-for-profit start-up, managed by five core team members (2017). Grapheel incorporated an R&D scheme for tangible and haptic technologies; a Consultancy and Training scheme; and a Web Service. The mission of Grapheel was to advocate for accessible STEM education for the visually impaired.

4. Developer and consultant at IT Foundation for the Visually Impaired (March 2016 – October 2017)

I worked for the ‘IT Foundation for Visually Impaired’ (Infoalap, a Hungarian charity) as an Accessible STEM consultant and assistant software developer. My role was to assist a team of programmers in converting LaTeX and MathML source documents into audio and braille formats. Prior to this contracted work, I volunteered to test and enhance mathematical features of FS JAWS 17.0, one of the most advanced screen readers. As a result of my work, for the first time in Hungary, users of JAWS were able to fully and correctly access mathematics. I also authored a 70 pages training booklet on ‘Using LaTeX for accessible maths’.

Research

I continue to collaborate with research groups, ever since I handed my student ID back.

Collaboration with the MIT Visualisation Group

After my PhD, I began a research collaboration with the MIT Visualisation Research Group. Our research studies how data visualisations on the web can be accessible to screen reader users. Multiple research projects sparked from the initial collaboration. We published an open source accessible visualisation adapter, called Olli. In addition, we have explored the commercial viability of the research output.

Qualifications and professional development

I have been fortunate to receive a high standard of education and additional training from reputable international institutions.

1. Incubator programmes

Incubator programmes are extended training programmes, where people can explore strategies of turning ideas into valuable opportunities in teams.

From Innovation to Market - London Business School

In 2022, I was selected as one of the guest researchers on a Master of Business Administration (MBA) course, accredited by the London Business School. On the “Innovation to Market” course, I attended taught sessions on business development. Teaming up with MBA students, we were exploring the commercial strategy and possibility of spinning out a business, based on the research I have been collaborating on, with researchers from the MIT Visualisation group.

Start-up Sussex - Sussex Innovation Centre

I took part in a start-up incubator in 2015, ran annually to student entrepreneurs by the Sussex Innovation Centre. As part of this process I have taken part in weekly workshops and one-to-one consultancies with business experts. I have learned the basics of business, entrepreneurship, IP protection, management, and accounting.

2. Professional qualifications

I have undertaken multiple continuous professional development courses, and gained certified qualifications.

1. The Association for Project Management (APM)
   • Project Management Qualification (PMQ)
2. We Love Mentors
   • Mentorship Programme Manager Certification
3. Interaction Design Foundation
   • “Accessibility for all” with a top 10% distinction.
   • “Human-Computer Interaction” with a top 10% distinction.
   • “Interaction Design for Usability” with a top 10% distinction.

3. Other certificates and awards

• In 2017, I was awarded the David Axon Prize for outstanding achievement in physics.
• In 2015, I was awarded the Junior Research Associate Award, including a chance to exhibit my research at the UK Parliament. Activities

Community and volunteering

I have always been interested in community building and volunteering.

1. Mentor at Look UK (since October 2022)

I joined a volunteer group of mentors at Look UK, supporting blind and partially sighted children in Sussex, England. My mentor role involves regular communication with an assigned mentee over text chat, virtual meetings, and in-person events.

2. The Sussex Universe Lecture Series (October 2014 – April 2016)

I established the Sussex Universe lecture series to showcase the best research taking place in the Physics and Astronomy Department to members of the University community and to the general public. I have been responsible for all aspects of this series, from the initial idea, to booking and introducing speakers, to organising refreshments and advertising. I organised 12 lectures over two years. The series is still running, four years after I handed the responsibilities over. On a number of occasions, local radios asked permission to broadcast the talks. During the 2020 pandemic the lecture series transitioned into a weekly online talk.

I regularly share my work and passion with other scientists and the public.

Doctoral thesis

• Ultrasonic mid-air haptic technology in context of science communication

Publications

• Rich Screen Reader Experiences for Accessible Data Visualization: Conference paper published in Computer Graphics Forum (EuroVis) (May, 2022)
• I can feel it moving : Science Communicators Talking About the Potential of Mid-Air Haptics: Journal paper published in Frontiers in Computer Science (October 2020)
• Improving Immersive Experiences for Visitors with Sensory Impairments to the Aquarium of the Pacific: Case study published in ACM Human Factors in Computing Systems (May 2020)
• Communicating cosmology with multisensory metaphorical experiences: Practical insight published in the Journal of Science Communication (April 2020)
• Mid-Air Haptic Rendering of 2D Geometric Shapes With a Dynamic Tactile Pointer: Journal paper published in IEEE Transactions on Haptics (January 2020)

Public engagement

• Exhibitor at the Brighton WonderFest (November 2019)
• Exhibitor at the Great Exhibition Road Festival (June 2019)
• Guest speaker at Posters in Parliament (March 2019)
• Exhibitor at the Lates event in the London Science Museum (October 2018)
• Exhibitor at the British Science Festival in the Brighton Museum (September 2017)
• Invited speaker for TEDX Margate 2017 (September 2017)
• Invited talk at the Hack the Senses event at Google’s London campus (April 2016)
• Poster at the Posters In Parliament event (February 2016)