Q&A with: Taslima Akter
September 27, 2022
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Taslima Akter is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Informatics. Akter recently earned her Ph.D. from Indiana University Bloomington. She joined as a CI Fellow at UCI in June 2022 to work with Dr. Anne Marie Piper. Akter's research interest lies in the intersection of accessibility and usable privacy and security. During her postdoc Akter aims to address the accessibility and privacy challenges people with disabilities face during the pandemic and beyond. Her Ph.D. research identifies the privacy concerns of people with visual impairments with camera based assistive technologies. Akter is originally from Bangladesh and earned a B.Sc from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.
1. Tell us about this fellowship and what it took to get it. This fellowship is awarded to Ph.D. graduates who want to join academia to support them during the financial and job crisis caused by the pandemic. This fellowship is supported by the Computing Research Association (CRA), the Computing Community Consortium (CCC), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). This is a two-year postdoc fellowship and the program offers lots of cohort-building activities to support networking and career development. |
Taslima Akter
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To get this fellowship, I had to go through a rigorous application process. The first step was to find a mentor whose research interest matches mine. I discussed my research proposal with a few professors and finally chose my current mentor as her expertise perfectly complemented mine.
I prepared a research proposal to explore the privacy and accessibility challenges of people with disabilities with video conferencing applications which is a very timely topic because of the shift to online meetings during the pandemic. I also had to propose what skills I was planning to gain through this fellowship. My mentor helped and guided me throughout the application procedure. Although the application process was a bit exhaustive, it was worth it.
2. What does this opportunity mean to you?
I feel fortunate receiving this fellowship. My Ph.D. research focused on understanding the privacy concerns of people with visual impairments with emerging technologies. Receiving this fellowship not only validated the importance of my research but also signified the importance of research on different marginalized populations. This fellowship allowed me to continue and further extend my research to address the challenges people with disabilities face in daily lives, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. My goal is to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion while designing future technology.
3. What will you be able to accomplish/do through this fellowship?
The Fellowship grants me the opportunities to advance my research career in academia. It is helping me to develop various skills, such as teaching courses, doing academic services, mentoring students, and conducting research independently. This fellowship allows me to collaborate with faculties of the computer science and informatics department and have access to their expertise to apply to my project. I am planning to engage in teaching activities, including providing guest lectures, and potentially co-instruct accessibility and privacy-focused courses.
4. What has it been like doing this fellowship?
This fellowship has provided me with lots of opportunities already. I have started collaborating with other professors in the department of Informatics. To advance my current research project and to gain insights into the challenges faced by people with disabilities during the pandemic, I have started connecting with various organizations that work or support people with disabilities. I am trying to establish a long-term collaboration with such organizations. My goal is to contribute to the community's needs through my research. I am also cultivating leadership skills by assisting my mentor managing the lab and the students.
5. How is it informing your career goals?
This fellowship is helping me to enrich my skills in different aspects of the work of faculty and academic researchers. It's allowing me to play a more supervisory role in research projects by collaborating with other researchers, mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, teaching classes, writing grants, and engaging in service activities.
6. How is the fellowship rounding out your educational experience?
This fellowship is allowing me to conduct research where I can apply my expertise and skills. This fellowship is helping me grow as a professional. This is providing me the opportunity to develop skills that I had limited access to as a PhD student such as writing grants, mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, and serving in leadership roles in academic conferences and workshops.
I prepared a research proposal to explore the privacy and accessibility challenges of people with disabilities with video conferencing applications which is a very timely topic because of the shift to online meetings during the pandemic. I also had to propose what skills I was planning to gain through this fellowship. My mentor helped and guided me throughout the application procedure. Although the application process was a bit exhaustive, it was worth it.
2. What does this opportunity mean to you?
I feel fortunate receiving this fellowship. My Ph.D. research focused on understanding the privacy concerns of people with visual impairments with emerging technologies. Receiving this fellowship not only validated the importance of my research but also signified the importance of research on different marginalized populations. This fellowship allowed me to continue and further extend my research to address the challenges people with disabilities face in daily lives, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. My goal is to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion while designing future technology.
3. What will you be able to accomplish/do through this fellowship?
The Fellowship grants me the opportunities to advance my research career in academia. It is helping me to develop various skills, such as teaching courses, doing academic services, mentoring students, and conducting research independently. This fellowship allows me to collaborate with faculties of the computer science and informatics department and have access to their expertise to apply to my project. I am planning to engage in teaching activities, including providing guest lectures, and potentially co-instruct accessibility and privacy-focused courses.
4. What has it been like doing this fellowship?
This fellowship has provided me with lots of opportunities already. I have started collaborating with other professors in the department of Informatics. To advance my current research project and to gain insights into the challenges faced by people with disabilities during the pandemic, I have started connecting with various organizations that work or support people with disabilities. I am trying to establish a long-term collaboration with such organizations. My goal is to contribute to the community's needs through my research. I am also cultivating leadership skills by assisting my mentor managing the lab and the students.
5. How is it informing your career goals?
This fellowship is helping me to enrich my skills in different aspects of the work of faculty and academic researchers. It's allowing me to play a more supervisory role in research projects by collaborating with other researchers, mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, teaching classes, writing grants, and engaging in service activities.
6. How is the fellowship rounding out your educational experience?
This fellowship is allowing me to conduct research where I can apply my expertise and skills. This fellowship is helping me grow as a professional. This is providing me the opportunity to develop skills that I had limited access to as a PhD student such as writing grants, mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, and serving in leadership roles in academic conferences and workshops.
