Carrigan Lab Research Team
Dr. Coleen Carrigan
(she/her/hers)
Principal Investigator
Dr. Coleen Carrigan is an Associate Professor of Science, Technology, and Society in the Department of Engineering and Society at the University of Virginia. Using ethnography, her research is focused on broadening participation, combatting inequities, and enhancing public engagement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Carrigan is a recipient of a five-year National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award for her research into the intersections of gender, race, and social values in computing. Her book, Cracking the Bro Code, is available from MIT Press.
AJ Nicholson
(he/him/his)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
A.J. Nicholson is a third-year undergraduate at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He is majoring in Anthropology and Geography with a focus on Environmental Studies and Sustainability. In the lab, he actively explores ongoing research regarding crucial social issues, including gender and sexual harassment and data privacy in the fields of engineering and technology. Additionally, he engages in public discourse that debates and critically examines these topics. He is excited to foster his intellectual growth in the field of science, technology, and society (STS) while also acquiring valuable skills in data management and ethical handling of information. Through gaining various skills in the lab, his aspirations involve conducting further investigations into the social impact of AI, as well as examining the effects of surveillance capitalism and safeguarding data privacy.
Selah MitchelL
(she/her/hers)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Selah Mitchell is a rising fourth-year undergraduate at the University of Virginia studying Cognitive Science with a concentration in computer science and a minor in Data Science. Her research interests include exploring the intersection of race and gender in the Computer Science space, particularly the disparity of exposure to the field. She hopes to research the technical or social factors that lead women to choose careers and majors in certain subfields of computing over others. During her time in the lab, she hopes to further gain skills in data management and case study development.
Henry Allen
(he/him/his)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Henry Allen is a third-year undergraduate at the University of Virginia. He is majoring in Foreign Affairs and minoring in Korean and Data Science. Within VSC, he reviews emerging literature on social challenges within engineering and technology, specifically focusing on gender and race. Outside of the lab, he studies international relations, with a concentration on East Asia. From South Korean developmental corporate structures to the effects of Japanese colonialism on current political affairs, he engages with political science and legal history as his primary studies. Through his work in the lab, his aspirations are to review the intersection between evolving corporate structures and Data Privacy, explore the continued harm of ‘techno-orientalism,’ and compare international inclusivity initiatives to domestic practices.
Nifasha Diomede
(he/him/his)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Nifasha Diomede is a rising third-year Computer Science major in the School of Arts and Sciences. His research interests involve understanding the social dynamics of technology, how social values influence tech spaces, and uncovering the integration of bias in these spaces. Within the lab, he aims to explore data privacy, data management, and data protection methods, particularly addressing the discriminatory biases that impact various underrepresented communities. Through research methods, he plans to gain an understanding of how bias plays in security and privacy in computer science fields. In addressing these biases, he strives to highlight and amplify diverse perspectives during his time in the lab by engaging with peer-reviewed research and gaining knowledge to create a platform where people can speak out on the biases within these engineering and tech mega industries.
Shivam Raigaga
(he/him/his)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Shivam Raigaga is a second-year Chemical Engineering major at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on responsible innovation, ensuring that new materials and processes in Chemical Engineering incorporate ethical considerations and inclusivity. In the lab, he explores how racial and gender disparities, such as the underrepresentation of minorities in leadership roles and unequal access to resources and opportunities, influence the development and implementation of novel engineering technologies. Through ethnographic methods, including thematic analysis and participant observation, Shivam aims to investigate these issues to inform more inclusive engineering practices. His goals include advancing expertise in responsible engineering, fostering collaboration between engineering and social sciences, and developing research-based guidelines to reduce racial and gender disparities in leadership roles, resource allocation, and career advancement within the Chemical Engineering field. Shivam aspires to create technologies and processes that not only optimize efficiency but also promote diversity and equity, ensuring that advancements benefit all communities fairly.
Elyse Undan
(she/her/hers)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Elyse Undan is a second-year undergraduate at the University of Virginia, majoring in Computer Science and aiming to minor in Studio Art with a concentration in Digital Art. She is driven by the hostile expansion of prejudice within tech communities, focusing her research interests on racialized sexism in the field of Computer Science. Within the Valuing the Social in Computing Lab, she aims to explore tech fetishism, gender and sexual harassment, and misinformation that spreads from major tech corporations within social media spaces. Additionally, she finds interest in AI management and its potential manipulative effects on privacy, marketing, and consumerism. She hopes to gain skills in data management, as well as strengthen her digital media literacy in a world that is highly propagandized by Big Tech.
RECENT accomplishments
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Winner
Sophie Klitgaard, former REU Stipend Awardee in the Carrigan Lab, wins National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
“While concerns over privacy are central to many high profile debates surrounding computer science and technology fields, relatively little research has investigated what privacy is or how it operates outside of the limited context of digital communications. My graduate research will address this critical gap in knowledge by examining how conceptualizations of privacy vary as a function of social and environmental contexts. In the coming years, I hope to utilize the findings of this research to push for informed public policy and user privacy protections.” -Sophie Klitgaard
REU Site Participant Award, 2022
Madison Green, National Science Foundation Division of Engineering Education and Centers conference in Virginia
Photo Credit: Dr. Christine Grant
Lab Alumni
Former Doctoral Research Assistants: Burren Peil, Katie Kuhl, Saejin Kwak Tanguay
Former Undergraduate Research Assistants: Miguel Del Real, Erin McDaniels, Madison Witters Green, Sophie Elizabeth Klitgaard, Clara Atwell, Siena Nicole Parsons, Jet J. Tan, Ell Hundertmark, Abibat Rahman-Davies, Gabriel Medina-Kim, Abigail Craig, Alana Salas-Yoshii, Noah Krigel, Luci Simpson, Mira Ambika Banerjee Brown, Rachel Kangas, Michelle Bardini, Frances Giffrey, Tas Thienpothong, Kelsey Molidor
Former STEM and VISTA Associates: Monica Singer, Emily Liptow, Chris Basurto