Sharifa Sultana

About Me

I am a human-computer interaction (HCI) researcher. I connect computing, justice, faith, and access together to support the empowerment of marginalized communities worldwide. I have expertise in HCI, design theory, South Asian feminism, and science and technology studies (STS). I have been working with rural marginalized communities in Bangladesh and Iranian immigrants in Canada for the last eight years. I use both quantitative and qualitative (ethnographic) techniques and social justice frameworks to study and design computational tools and systems. My research has brought novel perspectives into decoloniality, feminism, access, and polyvocality in HCI and information and communication technology for development (ICTD).

I am an Assistant Professor in Computer Science at UIUC. I completed my Ph.D. in Information Science at Cornell University in 2023. I was advised by Dr. Susan R. Fussell. Dr. Steven J. Jackson, Dr. Jeffrey M. Rzeszotarski, and Dr. Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed were also on my PhD committee. I have remained a Facebook/Meta Fellow, and my research has been supported by Facebook/Meta Fellowship and grants.

Before Cornell, I was a Lecturer of Computer Science (CS) at the Independent University, Bangladesh. Previously I was also a Lecturer of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at the University of South Asia, Bangladesh. Before that, I worked for PrimeSilicon Technologies (Bangladesh), as a Placement and Routing (PnR) Engineer. I obtained my undergraduate degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), majoring in Telecommunication Engineering and Digital Signal Processing.

My areas of interest are:

HCI4D, HCI-Design, Visualization, Ethics in Big Data and AI;

Feminism, Wellbeing, Decoloniality, Social Justice.

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Recent and Upcoming Events

Oct 4, 2024: Paper got accepted at ACM GROUP 2025.
- "My very subjective human interpretation": domain expert perspectives on navigating the text analysis loop for topic models.
Sept 12, 2024: Paper got accepted at ICTD 2024.
- The Ancient Elephant in the Room: Stigma, Gender Norms, and Cultural Barriers in Reproductive Care in Bangladesh.
I am serving the ICTD 2024 organizing team as the Notes Chair.
I will serve the ACM Designing Interactive Systems (DIS) 2026 organizing team as the Accessibility and Diversity Chair.
Jun 18, 2024: “Shotitwo First!” got Honorable Mention Award at ACM DIS 2024.
Jun 16, 2024: Paper got accepted at Automotive UI 2024.
- Introducing AV-Sketch: An Immersive Participatory Design Tool for Automated Vehicle — Passenger Interaction.
May 1, 2024: Paper got accepted at ACM DIS 2024.
- “Shotitwo First!”: Unraveling Global South Women’s Challenges in Public Transport to Inform Autonomous Vehicle Design.”
Apr 29, 2024: Received USD 13,000 for project funding.
- UIUC IDEA Institute Grant (GIANT); Title: Fostering A Sense of Belonging In the Children of Persian-speaking Immigrants Through Multimodal And Gesture-based Language Learning Pedagogy.; Role: PI
Apr 22, 2024: Guest lectured on "Human, Alternative Rationality, and Decolonial Data Practices in the Global South" at New York University, Abu Dhabi.
Mar 14, 2024: Seminal talk at the University of Toronto Prism Talk.
Feb 5, 2024: Seminal talk at the University of Washington Change Seminar.
Jan 15, 2024: Received USD 20,000 for project funding.
- Cardiff University-University of Illinois System Joint Research and Innovation Seed Grants Program; Title: AI-mediated Reproductive-Care Infographic Tools; Role: PI