Zoom: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/87546093853?pwd=WLrOwP754fgm7SojPOCLrAvoKc2lvJ.1
Refreshments Provided.
Abstract:
In this talk, I will present my research on the complex interplay between human behavior and digital technologies, with a focus on empirically assessing and improving privacy, security, and trust in socio-technical systems. Grounded in human-centered methods, this work addresses key challenges in evaluating and designing technologies that align with human values. I will highlight three exemplar studies that reflect this approach. The first investigates the deployment of COVID-19 contact-tracing apps (Sharma & Bashir, 2020), revealing how emergency response technologies can compromise user privacy and expose tensions between public health goals and data protection. The second study (Huang et al., 2023) uses psychometric modeling to show how cognitive biases affect users’ smartphone security behaviors, uncovering gaps between perception and practice. The third (Tang & Bashir, 2023) examines trust in human-robot interaction, introducing self-avatar similarity as a novel mechanism for calibrating trust in autonomous systems. These studies illustrate how interdisciplinary methods can uncover human factors that shape, and are shaped by, emerging technologies. I will also briefly describe the Illinois Cyber Security Scholars Program, an NSF-funded initiative I lead to train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals through integrated education and research. The talk will conclude with a framework for designing digital systems that better support privacy-preserving architectures, psychologically informed security features, and trust-aware AI interactions.
Bio:
Dr. Masooda Bashir is an Associate Professor at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with affiliated appointments in the Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering, the Coordinated Science Laboratory, and the Information Trust Institute in the College of Engineering. Her research examines the intersection of information technology, human psychology, and society, with a focus on how privacy, security, and trust interact within information systems. She earned her Ph.D. in psychology from Purdue University, following degrees in mathematics and computer science. Prior to academia, she gained high-tech industry experience at companies such as Lotus and IBM, bringing a unique interdisciplinary and industry-informed perspective to her work. A recognized leader in human-centered privacy, cybersecurity, and trust, Dr. Bashir directs major initiatives including the Illinois Cyber Security Scholarship Program. She has led federally funded and industry-sponsored projects on privacy standards for cloud computing, trust in automation, and cybersecurity education. She has authored over 100 scholarly publications advancing privacy, cybersecurity, human-centered computing, and trust in digital systems. Through her teaching, research, and leadership, Dr. Bashir drives critical understanding of the human dimensions of privacy, cybersecurity, and automation, while building innovative pathways for workforce development and human-centered technology design.
Part of the Siebel School Speakers Series. Faculty Host: Carl Gunter
Meeting ID: 875 4609 3853
Passcode: csillinois
If accommodation is required, please email <erink@illinois.edu> or <communications@cs.illinois.edu>. Someone from our staff will contact you to discuss your specific needs