Kyla McMullen has etched her name in history as the pioneering African American woman to be awarded a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan, marking a significant milestone in the academic landscape of the United States. Kyla recounted her experience, noting, “I am accustomed to being the only black in the room,” highlighting her unique position in her academic journey.
Her groundbreaking research within the University of Michigan’s Interactive Systems group focused on “the individualization of rendering virtual sounds over headphones,” exploring innovative ways for listeners to navigate and memorize virtual soundscapes as if they were traversing a virtual environment.
Kyla’s journey into the realm of computer sciences was significantly influenced by a high school teacher who challenged the conventional stereotypes associated with computer scientists. This early inspiration propelled her to pursue and achieve her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Continuing her academic pursuits at the University of Michigan for her graduate studies, Kyla embarked on developing educational software aimed at “teaching children how to identify relationships between objects.” Her dedication to research further led her to a project with the Naval Submarine Medical Research Lab, where she contributed to creating virtual environments navigable through spatialized sound cues. This work holds promising implications for “assistive technologies, training simulations, and workers in sight-restricted environments.”
In her commitment to supporting diversity in the STEM fields, Kyla has served in leadership roles as both the President and Vice President of the Society of Minority Engineers and Scientists.
Currently, Kyla McMullen continues to make significant contributions to the field as an Assistant Professor at Clemson University’s School of Computing. Her research primarily focuses on “rendering spatial audio virtually,” aiming to enrich virtual environments and sonify information sources, showcasing her ongoing commitment to innovation and education in computer sciences.