Research

At the heart of my interdisciplinary research are concerns at the intersection of information technologies and sustainability. Sustainability is a crucial moral and existential imperative. As highlighted by the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), sustainability spans topics including economic growth, innovation, health and wellbeing, poverty, inequality, climate change, natural resource preservation, and biodiversity loss.

My broad research agenda examines sustainable socio-technical systems. Empirically, I concentrate on organizations and communities and the complex social and ethical interplay surrounding them, shaping their use of information technologies. Methodologically, I draw on mixed methods (interviews, statistics, participant observation, along with archival research, participatory and community-driven design) applied both at the local and global levels.

My research on sustainability and information technologies can be classified into two interconnected areas:

Sustainable Development, IT in Organizations, Migration & Immigrant Integration

In alignment with the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which recognize migration as a powerful driver of sustainable development for migrants, their communities, and the host countries, my research agenda has involved close collaboration with migrant communities, non-profit and humanitarian service organizations, refugee entrepreneurs, startups, and policymakers.

• GenAI in the Non-profit Immigrant-serving Agencies

My SSHRC-funded research explores the current state of GenAI in the refugee and immigrant serving agencies in Canada.

• Platform-based employment, Senior immigrants and Mobility

Supported by MIRA funding, my research examines how older immigrants experience and engage with platform-mediated gig work amid changing physical, mental, and technological mobility demands. The study seeks to deepen understanding of their mobility experiences and aspirations within platform-based gig economies.

• Non-profit Data Management and Sustainable Immigrant Integration

Drawing on the literatures from information science, data studies and human-computer interaction, my dissertation research at the University of Toronto demonstrates how the sustainable digital transformation of immigrant-serving agencies and the social and economic integration of their newcomer clients into Canadian society are interrelated. Critically, it highlights why promoting the responsible design and use of technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, in settlement service delivery is a necessary step in addressing social and digital inequities and the data privacy needs and challenges of disadvantaged groups. Moreover, my dissertation demonstrates broader challenges impacting the sustainable social and economic integration of new Canadians, including digital inclusion and equitable access to digital literacy and resources.

Sustainability, Digital Inclusion and Communities

Another strand of my research focuses on the role of information technologies in promoting sustainable futures for marginalized communities as they navigate structural inequities in health, well-being and work. I examine some pressing questions at both theoretical and practical levels and both locally and globally, including the links between information infrastructures and citizenship practices, the information-wise transitions of refugees and digital humanitarian work.