I am a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science, a Schwartz Reisman Institute for Computer and Society graduate fellow, and a member of the DGP lab at the University of Toronto. I am also doing a Doctoral Specialization in South Asian Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. My Ph.D. dissertation committee includes Dr. Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed (supervisor), Dr. Robert Soden, Dr. Steve Easterbrook, Dr. Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme, and Dr. Kentaro Toyama.

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I am broadly interested in the ethics of computing in general and AI in particular, with a focus on marginalization, equity, and social justice. In my recent research, I position faith, religion, and spirituality as forces shaping the ethics and politics intrinsic in and experienced through computing technologies. My goal is to design and implement safer and inclusive technologies and policies from this perspective. I have collaborated with marginalized communities in both the Global South and North, exploring a range of ethical and social justice issues like environmental ethics, privacy, online safety, social development, and grassroots politics. My work has been published and received awards in leading venues for Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW), and Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD), including CHI, CSCW, ICTD, and COMPASS.

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I was born and raised in Bangladesh, a beautiful South Asian country. I speak Bengali and English. When we meet, please call me Rifat -- I go by my last name. When I am not reading, writing, researching, or teaching, I am running, visiting new places, singing or humming songs, or cooking.