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

Kelly Caine

caine@clemson.edu

Professor & Director, HATLab

Kelly Caine is Director of the Humans and Technology lab (HATLab) and 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.

Bart Knijnenburg

bartk@clemson.edu

Co-Director, HATLab & Associate Professor

Bart Knijnenburg is Co-Director of the HATLab and Associate 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.

Jinkyung Katie Park

jinkyup@clemson.edu

Co-Director, HATLab & Assistant Professor

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

esidnam@clemson.edu

Research Scientist, HATLab

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

chengg@clemson.edu

Ph.D. Student, Human-Centered Computing

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

errolf@g.clemson.edu

Ph.D. Student, Computer Science

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

ananyag@clemson.edu

Ph.D. Student, Human-Centered Computing

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.

Sushmita Khan

sushmik@g.clemson.edu

Ph.D. Student, Human-Centered Computing

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.

Mina Mbodji

ambodj@g.clemson.edu

Ph.D. Student, Human-Centered Computing

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 Mehtab Iqbal

mehtabi@g.clemson.edu

Ph.D. Student, Human-Centered Computing

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

oosho@g.clemson.edu

Ph.D. Student, Human-Centered Computing

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

halzugh(at)clemson(dot)edu

Ph.D. Student, Human-Centered Computing

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

hansenl@g.clemson.edu

Ph.D. Student, Human-Centered Computing

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

cbarwul@g.clemson.edu

Ph.D. Student, Human-Centered Computing

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

lshafie@g.clemson.edu

Ph.D. Student, School of Computing

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.

Yan Xia

xia5@clemson.edu

Ph.D. Student, Human-Centered Computing

Yan Xia is a first-year PhD student in Human-Centered Computing. Her research stands at the intersection of AI, healthcare, and online community dynamics. She critically examines the impact of emerging technologies on human cognition, with a specific focus on how these interactions manifest in digital environments and how online spaces can be designed to mitigate negative psychological outcomes.

Naiyah Lewis

naiyahl@clemson.edu

Ph.D. Student, Human-Centered Computing

Naiyah Lewis is a first-year PhD student in Human-Centered Computing. She holds a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Her research interests are centered around teen online safety, social media recommender systems, and usable privacy.

Master Students

Gayatri Tatineni

gtatine@g.clemson.edu

M.S. Student, School of Computing

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.

Goun Bae

gbae@clemson.edu

M.S. Student, Applied Computing

Goun Bae is a Master of Applied Computing student studying HCI and AI, with a background in statistics. Her research interests include human-AI interaction and user privacy in AI systems.