I am an assistant professor in the College of Computing and Digital Media at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. I co-direct the Technology for Social Good | Research and Design Lab with Dr. Denise Nacu. 

As for my research, I explore and design technologies used by groups, teams, and communities to solve social issues in urban environments by considering social, cultural, and economic contexts as well as socio-technical infrastructures. My current projects explore how various Chicago communities use technologies to address social issues such as crime, education, political efficacy, and economic development. The goal of my work is to design socio-cultural appropriate technologies that can be embedded in urban neighborhoods that encourage collaborative pro-social behavior.

I received my Ph.D. from the Technology and Social Behavior program at Northwestern University. The program is a joint degree in Computer Science and Communication. I received my Masters in Computer Science focusing on Human Computer Interaction from the College of Computing at Georgia Institute of Technology. Before attending Georgia Tech, I received two Bachelors of Science degrees from Spelman College in Computer Science and Mathematics. Prior to returning for my Ph.D., I was an User Experience Engineer at IBM.

Recent News

  • Sept 2016: Our paper (with Aarti Israni and Chè Smith), "Snitches, Trolls, and Social Norms: Unpacking Perceptions of Social Media Use for Crime Prevention" was accepted to CSCW 2017.
  • June 2016: I throughly enjoyed sharing my work with the amazing people at CSST in Stevenson, WA. 
  • May 2016: We presented our late-breaking paper, "'That Neighborhood is Sketchy!': Examining Online Conversations about Social Disorder in Transitioning Neighborhoods." at CHI 2016.
  • Mar 2016: Emily Ryou presented our paper, "Storytelling with Data: Examining the Use of Data by Non-Profit Organizations" at CSCW 2016.
  • Jan 2016: Digital Youth Divas is starting a new Saturday program and our PI Dr. Nichole Pinkard was on You & Me.
  • Dec 2015: I received a university research grant for my work, "Digital Connectedness in Chicago Neighborhoods."

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