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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 analyzing and designing technologies for cultural and value pluralism. My research program is at the intersection of human-computer interaction, system design, and critical social sciences. My research spans three related themes: (a) quantitative and interpretive exploration of the challenges of pluralism, (b) design and development of computing systems that address plural ethics, and (c) supporting cultural and value pluralistic practices in multicultural societies. Methodologically, I integrate computing techniques such as machine learning, natural language processing, and system building with qualitative explorations through ethnography and interviews, alongside theories and insights from ethics, pluriversal design, and critical social sciences. This research aims to empower marginalized communities and make technologies safer and more inclusive for all. My work has been published and has received awards in leading venues for Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW), Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD), and Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (FAccT), including CHI, CSCW, FAccT, 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, gardening, or cooking.

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Mitigating faith-based harms. [More]

Ongoing Research

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Designing for pluralistic societies. [More]

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Mobile applications for developing empathy. [More]

Recent News​​​​​​​​​​

  • Upcoming panels, guest lectures, and presentations: Rethining AI Ethics (Schwartz Reisman Institute for Computer and Society); Computing for Pluralism (CSE 580, University of Washington, Seattle; CS6204, Virginia Tech; CS, University of Texas at San Antonio); Politics of Fear (CSCW 2024).

  • September 20, 2024: Paper on how Hindu religious minorities cope in multicultural communities has been accepted for CSCW 2025.

  • August 15, 2024: Joined the COMPASS 2025 organizing committee as the local chair.

  • August 13, 2024: Panel on AI and spiritual wellbeing has been accepted at CSCW 2024.

  • Selected ongoing community services: AC, CHI 2025 (Fall 2024); AC, ICTD 2024 (Summer 2024); AC, HttF 2024 (Summer 2024).

  • April 24, 2024: Attending CSST Summer Research Institute from June 17 to 21, 2024. 

  • March 30, 2024: One paper on the politics of data annotation and colonial knowledge practices in the Global South has been accepted at FAccT 2024!

  • March 22, 2024: One paper on religious minority communitys' experience of using social media platforms has been accepted at CSCW 2024!

  • March 15, 2024: Our work in progress paper, "Religion, Faith and Spirituality, Secularism, and Disciplinary Paradigms," has been accepted at Northeast HCI Meeting.

  • January 18, 2024: Two papers have been accepted at CHI 2024!​​​

 All News

What I am up to​​​

  • Reading Now:  Brown Boy: A Memoir (Aziz, O.); Rethinking Multiculturalism: Cultural Diversity and Political Theory (Parekh, B.); Personal knowledge: Towards a post-critical philosophy (Polanyi, M.); Ethics in the conflicts of modernity: An essay on desire, practical reasoning, and narrative (MacIntyre, A.);  Memory, History, and Forgetting (Ricoeur, P). Find what books I am reading here (2020 onwards)

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