Jacki O'Neill

About

Dr Jacki O’Neill is a computer scientist and lab director whose work sits at the intersection of technology, equity and the future of work. She is the founding director of Microsoft Research Africa, Nairobi (formerly MARI). She built the lab from the ground up into a globally recognised centre for equitable AI, with a focus on building human-centred AI – which is linguistically and culturally appropriate – in domains spanning the future of work, health, and agriculture across the African continent. She received the ACM SIGCHI Societal Impact Award (2026) and has spent her career conducting and leading research that centres the people most affected by technology: from gig workers and auto-rickshaw drivers to front-line workers and SMBs. Her research spans Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, India, China, Europe and the USA. Her work has been cited over 4,200 times, recognised with multiple Best Paper awards, and has shaped products, including a remote troubleshooting system that won the Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award.

Dr O’Neill has a rare ability to move between deep fieldwork and high-stakes technology design. She has presented her research to Satya Nadella, Bill Gates and Microsoft’s senior leadership team, led a landmark AI and Future of Work white paper with the African Union and Oxford University, and co-created PazaBench — the first speech-recognition leaderboard for African low-resource languages. With 50+ peer-reviewed publications, 13 patents, and a track record of building and mentoring research teams across India, Bangladesh, Europe and Africa, she is an influential voice in Human-Computer Interaction, working to ensure that the next generation of AI systems are built for everyone.

Outside of work her passions include running, hiking and camping.