Members

Meet the members of the HATLab. Our members include a wide variety of people including graduate researchers and undergraduate research assistants. Check out this page to see who’s working on the newest research on humans and technology.

Directors

Dr. Kelly Caine
Dr. Kelly Caine
caine@clemson.edu
Kelly Caine is Director of the Humans and Technology lab (HATLab) and Associate Professor in the Human-Centered Computing Division of the School of Computing at Clemson University. She and her team conduct research on usable privacy and security, health informatics, wearable computing, and aging-in-place all with a focus on human factors issues related to designing privacy-enhanced systems. Dr. Caine has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of South Carolina and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Engineering Psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Dr. Bart Knijnenburg
Dr. Bart Knijnenburg
bartk@clemson.edu
Bart Knijnenburg is Co-Director of the HATLab and Assistant Professor in the Human-Centered Computing Division of the School of Computing at Clemson University. He is a researcher on privacy decision-making and recommender systems. Dr. Knijnenburg has a BSc and MSc from Eindhoven University of Technology, a MHI from Carnegie Mellon University, and a PhD from the University of California, Irvine.
Dr. Katie Park
Dr. Katie Park
jinkyup@clemson.edu
Katie Park is a Co-Director of the HATLab and Assistant Professor in the Human-Centered Computing Division of the School of Computing at Clemson University. She is also an affiliated faculty at Media Forensics Hub. She conducts research on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to promote the online safety of vulnerable populations. Dr. Park has a Ph.D. in Information Science from Rutgers University and was a Postdoc in the Computer Science Department at Vanderbilt University.

Research Scientist

Emily Sidnam-Mauch headshot
Emily Sidnam-Mauch
esidnam@clemson.edu
Emily Sidnam-Mauch is a Research Scientist for the HATLab. She researches how individual differences and technology affordances intersect to predict usage patterns and related outcomes for users of communication technologies, with an emphasis on understanding social media and digital well-being. Dr. Sidnam-Mauch has a Ph.D. and M.A. in Communication from the University of Southern California, an M.A. in Communication from Purdue University, and a B.A. in Communication from Biola University.

Graduate Research Assistants

Cheng Guo headshot
Cheng Guo
chengg@clemson.edu
Cheng Guo is a Human-Centered Computing Ph.D. student at Clemson. He has a Bachelor’s in E-commerce from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, a Bachelor’s in E-commerce from Swinburne University of Technology, and a M.S. in Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to joining the HATLab, he worked as a researcher at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. His research interests are in Usable Security & Privacy and Health Informatics.
Errol Francis II headshotErrol Francis II
errolf@g.clemson.edu
Errol Francis II is a 2nd year Ph.D. student in the Computer Science Division of the School of Computing at Clemson University. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Pomona College. His research interests are in medical artificial intelligence and decision making.
Ananya Gupta headshotAnanya Gupta
ananyag@clemson.edu
Ananya Gupta is a PhD student in the Human-Centered Computing Division of the School of Computing at Clemson University. She joined the HATLab in the Fall of 2020 and is working under the supervision of Dr. Bart Knijnenburg. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Claflin University in Orangeburg, SC in the Spring of 2020. She is interested in usable privacy and security in online social media networks and recommender systems. Ananya grew up in Rautahat, Nepal.
Heba Aly headshotHeba Aly
haly@g.clemson.edu
Heba Aly is a Ph.D. student at Clemson University’s School of Computing. She holds a Bsc. and a Msc. in Computer Engineering from Arab Academy for Science and Technology University, Egypt. Her research focuses on privacy decision making, social media post translation, mobile application development.
Sushmita Khan headshotSushmita Khan
sushmik@g.clemson.edu
Sushmita is a PhD student in Human Centered Computing at Clemson University researching adolescents privacy knowledge and data use to explain how their data is used in algorithmic decision-making and to afford them control of their data. Her work is motivated by the goal of creating a equitable and safe online systems. She has a B.Sc. in Computer Science and an M.Sc. in Math.
Aminata Mbodji headshotMina Mbodji
ambodj@g.clemson.edu
Mina Mbodj is a Doctoral student in Human-Centered Computing with a background in Economics and Political Science. Her research interests center around Behavioral Science informed User Experience Design, Computational Game Theory, as well as Digital Currency Platform Design and Security.
Shahan Iqbal headshotShahan Mehtab Iqbal
mehtabi@g.clemson.edu
Shahan (Mehtab Iqbal) is a Ph.D. student in Human-Centered Computing at Clemson University. He cares about accessibility and inclusion and aims to achieve this by building transparent AI system development tools that afford policy adherence. Before graduate school, Shahan was a software engineer building NLP-driven solutions powering eDiscovery platforms. He holds an M.S. in mathematics and a B.Sc. in computer science.
Oluwafemi Osho headshotOluwafemi Osho
oosho@g.clemson.edu
Oluwafemi Osho is a Ph.D. student in Human-Centered Computing. His research interests cover usable privacy and security as well as human aspects of cybersecurity. Femi holds a B.Tech. in Mathematics/Computer Science and an M.Tech. in Mathematics from Federal University of Technology, Minna, and an M.S. in Technical Communication from Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Han Alzughbi Headshot
Han Alzughbi
halzugh(at)clemson(dot)edu
Han holds an M.Sc. in Computer Science and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing. His research focuses on designing technology that fosters a usable, privacy-preserving, secure, and trustworthy digital environment for users.
Beyond research, Han serves as the President of the School of Computing Graduate Student Association, where he leads initiatives to enhance the academic and professional growth of graduate students.
Hansen Lee Headshot
Hansen Lee
hansenl@g.clemson.edu
Hansen Lee is pursuing his Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing at Clemson University, where he also completed his Master’s degree in Public Relations. His research is centered around privacy decision-making, AI education, and the interaction between humans and AI.
Catherine Barwulor headshot
Catherine Barwulor
cbarwul@g.clemson.edu
Catherine Barwulor is a Human-centered Computing PhD student at Clemson University. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her research interests include privacy and security, usable authentication, digital inequality, and computer-mediated experiences.
Laila Shafiee headshot
Laila Shafiee
lshafie@g.clemson.edu
Laila Shafiee is a Ph.D. student at Clemson University’s School of Computing. She holds a Master of Information Technology Management from St. Ambrose University, USA, and a Bachelor of Home Economy and Art Education from King Abdul Aziz University, Saudi Arabia. Her research focuses on recommender systems.
Gayatri headshot
Gayatri Tatineni
gtatine@g.clemson.edu
Gayatri is a second-year master’s student in Clemson’s School of Computing and a Graduate Research Assistant specializing in machine learning and AI. Her research focuses on fine-tuning large language models to reduce bias and enhance chatbots. She is passionate about recommender systems, content moderation, and data-driven decision-making.

Alumni

Dr. Lijie Guo
Dr. Daricia Wilkinson
Now at Microsoft
Dr. Reza Ghaiumy Anaraky
Now at NYU
Ryan Preston
Ayana Monroe
daricia
reza
Ryan
Ayana Monroe headshot
Dr. Marie Jarrell
Now at IMT Atlantique
Dr. Paritosh Bahirat
Dr. Byron Lowens
Now at University of Michigan
Dr. Yifang Li
Dr. Moses Namara
Now at Apple
moses
Dr. Vivian Motti
Now at George Mason
Dr. Melva James
Now at MIT Lincoln Lab
Dr. Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen
Now at Utah State
David Cherry
Cayden Wagner
Siva Likitha Valluru
John Xue
Micheala Bennekin
Now at Boeing
Jing LYU
Shahla Farzana
Now at UIC
Pratitee Sinha
Abhilash Menon
Katlin Helfter
MaryJo May
Brian Justice
Jordan Minoda
Jenna Darrah
Now at NCSU
Ravi Teja Kandula
Sameer Singh
Amanda Todd
Darrell Best
Emily Matthews
Subina Saini
Hayley Mcconnell
Brianne Campbell
Kimberley Shappell
Omar Mayar
Peter Barnett
Now at Boeing
Keanau Ormson
Dane Smith
Caitlyn Dowenen
Spencer Kohn
Now at George Mason
Zack Robinson
Megan Holder
Justin Stephens
Brodrick Stigall
Now at University of Memphis
Claire Gendron
Now at Deloitte
Brodrick Stigall
Claire Gendron