Hello!
My name is Ashley Del Valle, and I am the first in my family to pursue a Ph.D. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Business Entrepreneurship from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, and a Master’s degree in Media Arts and Technology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where I am currently a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate. I work in the Expressive Computation Lab (ECL) under the guidance of Prof. Jennifer Jacobs, where I explore how technology can enhance creative expression and material interactions in textile craftsmanship.
 
I use a craft-centered perspective to explore how digital fabrication can extend—rather than replace—handmade textile practices. I investigate how computational design and fabrication can both benefit from and contribute to these techniques, materials, and communities.

I propose systems in which digital and manual methods operate together (1) to produce new forms of artifacts and computational tools for handmade textile crafts, (2) to preserve and extend the expressive, functional, and social qualities of handwork, and (3) to create more accessible and personally meaningful entry points into computational making for crafters, youth, and creative learners.

I am currently seeking a postdoctoral position for Spring 2026.