Aayusha Pokharel is a Barnard College Class of 2028 student studying Economics and Computer Science. Their research interests lie at the intersection of economics and computer science, particularly technology policy, data ethics, developing economies, and how technical policy can support development.

Previous research experience: I worked on a summer research project studying usable security and privacy. One project examined how student journalists think about digital safety and privacy when reporting on highly political issues. A second project evaluated online advice for phone-theft victims, including its quality in terms of financial harm, digital privacy, and security.

How I got started: I cold-emailed many professors, interviewed with several, and chose a mentor whose work best matched my goals. I then applied to my college's summer research program and received stipend funding to conduct full-time research in New York. I continued the research after the summer ended.

Open to being contacted: Yes

Preferred contact: avapokharel@gmail.com

Advice/notes: Finding summer research; approaching professors; interdisciplinary STEM and humanities research; qualitative research; research project design; usable security research; computer science and economics research

Links

Location

New York

New York, NY, USA