My PhD Journey
My journey through the PhD program has been a roller-coaster of experiences and emotions. I have enjoyed and celebrated the highs, while enduring and learning from the lows. When given the opportunity to reflect on my limits and what I can achieve, I realized the importance of laying down self-imbued assumptions about how things around me are perceived, and learned to absorb valuable information from those around me.
My Research Interests
Maintaining good cyber-hygiene is essential for mitigating threats to information security. In my research, I aim to better understand the perceptions and concerns of online privacy among under-represented populations (such as older adults) and their barriers and motivators using online privacy tools. By studying their experiences using online conferencing and communication tools, my research formulates guidance to support older adults when accessing information, with a view to inform designers of the needs of this important demographic. This allows me to directly impact the user experiences of current and future consumers of modern technology.
My Strengths
If those around me appeared to be more intellectual than I was, I acted as a sponge and absorbed the information from those more experienced in the field than I was. If I received rejections from venues, I accepted the feedback given, improved my work and tried again. My core strengths in research include analyzing rich qualitative data, time management, diligence and dedication towards academic coursework, and a strong penchant for learning both academic and life skills from those I highly respect (E.g., my close friends and family, my lab colleagues, and both my amazing advisors.
Hirak Ray 