Yasaman Rohanifar

PhD Student
Deparment of Computer Science
University of Toronto
Room BA5166, 40 St. George St. Toronto, ON M5S 2E4

Hello World! I'm Yasaman Rohanifar, a PhD Student in Computer Science at the University of Toronto. I'm also part of the DGP lab and the ThirdSpace research group where I conduct research under supervision of Prof. Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed. My research interests revolve around Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).

Recent Highlights

(show all news)
Participated and Presented at the 2023 ACM CRA-WP Grad Cohort for Women
April 20-22, 2023

I participated at the 2023 CRA-WP Grad Cohort for Women, met wonderful peers, and presented a poster on "The Designing for Everyday Decision Making". Here is a photo of me in the beautiful San Francisco to remember this fantastic trip to California!

Was Awarded the Wolfond Scholarship Program in Wireless Information Technology
Febuary 2, 2023

I was awarded the Wolfond Scholarship Program in Wireless Information Technology! This scholarship recognizes and supports graduate students who are pursuing research in areas related to systems, wireless, networks, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and digital media, based on academic merit. The recipients of this scholarship are known as “Wolfond Fellows”.

Passed the PhD Qualifying Oral Exam
December 16, 2022

I passed the PhD Qualifying Oral Exam, the first significant milestone in a PhD Program. The purpose of this exam is to assess a student's readiness to advance to the next stage in their PhD program.


Education

University of Toronto

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Computer Science

Thesis: Designing for Everyday Decision Making
Committee: Prof. Robert Soden, Prof. Alex Mariakakis, Prof. Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed
GPA: 4.0/4.0

May 2020 - Present

University of Toronto

Master of Science (MSc) in Computer Science

Thesis: Designing Community-Based Inclusive FinTech for Immigrants and Refugees
Committee: Prof. Cosmin Munteanu, Prof. Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed
GPA: 4.0/4.0

Sept 2018 - May 2020

Shahid Beheshti University

Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Computer Engineering

Thesis: Designing an Agile System to Implement Information Security Management Systems
Committee: Prof. Alireza Shameli Sendi, Prof. Ramak Ghavamizadeh, Prof. Eslam Nazemi
GPA: 18.23/20 (Ranked 2nd)

Sept 2013 - June 2018

Publications

"Kabootar": Towards Informal, Trustworthy, and Community-Based FinTech for Marginalized Immigrants

Yasaman Rohanifar, Sharifa Sultana, Shaid Hasan, Priyank Chandra, and Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed
Kabootar Thumbnail

The Role of Intermediaries, Terrorist Assemblage, and Re-skilling in the Adoption of Cashless Transaction Systems in Bangladesh

Yasaman Rohanifar, Sharifa Sultana, Swapnil Nandy, Pratyasha Saha, Md. Jonayed Hossain Chowdhury, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen, and Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed
Cashless Thumbnail

Money Whispers: Informality, International Politics, and Immigration in Transnational Finance

Yasaman Rohanifar, Priyank Chandra, Ataur Rahman, Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed
Money Whispers Thumbnail

Human Computation and Crowdsourcing for Earth

Yasaman Rohanifar, Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed, Sharifa Sultana, Prateek Chanda, Malay Bhattacharyya
Crowdsourcing Thumbnail

Ambivalence: Simultaneous Tactile Experiences of Using and Recycling Smartphones

Yasaman Rohanifar, Mohammad Rashidujjaman Rifat, Nusrat Jahan Mim, Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed
Ambivalence Thumbnail

Exile Within Borders: Understanding the Limits of the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Iraq

Dina Sabie, Samar Sabie, Cansu Ekmekcioglu, Yasaman Rohanifar, Fatma Hashim, Steve Easterbrook, Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed
IDP Thumbnail

Honors and Awards

Wolfond Scholarship Program in Wireless Information Technology

2022-2023 Academic Year - $5,000

Awarded to graduate students who are pursuing research in areas related to systems, wireless, networks, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and digital media, based on academic merit. The recipients of this scholarship are known as “Wolfond Fellows”.

University of Toronto, Canada

Feb 2023

2nd Prize in the Blue Sky Ideas Track at HCOMP 2021

2021-2022 Academic Year - $750

University of Toronto, Canada

May 2021

University of Toronto SGS Conference Grant

2020-2021 Academic Year - $330

Awarded to eligible students who are actively presenting their research – either virtually or in-person – at an academic conference.

University of Toronto, Canada

May 2021

Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship-Doctoral (CGS D)

2021-2024 Academic Years - $105,000

The NSERC offers this federal scholarship to the top-ranked PGS D applicants with the aim of rewarding and retaining high-calibre doctoral students at Canadian institutions.

University of Toronto, Canada

April 2021

Shortlisted For The University of Toronto TATP TA Excellence Awards

2020-2021 Academic Year

Presented annually by the Teaching Assistants’ Training Program (TATP) at UofT, this award seeks to value the work of TAs who regularly inspire and challenge undergraduate students.

University of Toronto, Canada

March 2021

University of Toronto PhD Travel Conference Grant

2020-2021 Academic Year - $318.85

Awarded to full-time PhD students in good standing presenting a paper as a speaker relevant to their academic program.

University of Toronto, Canada

February 2021

Beatrice “Trixie” Worsley Graduate Scholarship in Computer Science

2020-2021 Academic Year - $4,000

Awarded on the basis of academic merit to one or more students enrolled in the PhD program who have taken an active role in helping to promote women in the field of computer science.

University of Toronto, Canada

December 2020

Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)

2020-2021 Academic Year - $15,000

Jointly funded by the Province of Ontario and the University of Toronto, awarded to graduate students in all disciplines on the basis of academic merit.

University of Toronto, Canada

September 2020

University of Toronto SGS Conference Grant (not availed)

2019-2020 Academic Year - $1,160

The SGS Conference Grant provides financial support to encourage eligible students to actively present their research at academic conferences during their early stages of graduate studies.

University of Toronto, Canada

December 2019

Impact Center Innovation Fellowship

Impact Center 2020 - $1,000

University of Toronto, Canada

February 2020

Pueblo Science Hackathon and People’s Choice Award Winner

Hackathon for Science Education 2019 - $700

University of Toronto, Canada

September 2019

Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS) - Master’s (not availed)

2018-2019 Academic Year - $17,500

Jointly administered by Canada’s three granting agencies: CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC, the CGS-M provides support to high-calibre scholars in eligible master’s or PhD programs in Canada.

Ryerson University, Canada

April 2018

Ranked 2nd among Software Engineering students class of 2018

Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

September 2018

Honorable Mention in Asia Regional ACM-ICPC, Asia Tehran site

Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.

December 2015

1st Place in Qualification Contest ACM-ICPC

Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

November 2015

14th Place in Asia Regional ACM-ICPC, Asia Tehran site

Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

December 2014

Ranked top 0.5% in nationwide university entrance examination

Among more than 300,000 participants, Iran

September 2013

Silver Medalist at the 7th International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO)

Abuja, Nigeria

December 2010

Teaching

Full Course Lectures

  • CSC300: Computers and Society                                                        
Winter 2024
2024 - Present

Guest Lectures

  • CSC300: Computers and Society - Copyright and Intellectual Properties
Nov 2022
  • ENV360: Is the Internet Green? - ICT Use to Help Humanity
Nov 2021-2022
  • CSC300: Computers and Society - Gender and Computing (x8)
Mar 2023
Nov 2022
Nov & Mar 2021
Nov & Mar 2020
Nov & Mar 2019
2019 - Present

Teaching Assistantships

Graduate Courses

  • CSC2604: Design Theory and HCI
Winter 2023

Underdraduate Courses

  • CSC300: Computers and Society (x9)
Fall & Winter 2023
Fall 2022
Fall & Winter 2021
Fall & Winter 2020
Fall & Winter 2019
  • CSC318: Design of Interactive Computational Media (x6)
Winter & Summer 2022
Winter 2021
Fall, Winter & Summer 2020
  • CSC207: Software Design (x6)
Summer 2021 & 2023
Fall & Winter 2019
Fall & Winter 2018
  • CSC108: Introduction to Programming
Summer 2019
2018 - Present

Academic Services

Mentorship

I have had the privilage of having amazing mentors such as Dr. Mona Ghassemian in my academic life. As part of my giveback to the community of women in computing, I have been mentoring and supporting the following to the best of my knowledge and ability:

July 2019 - Present

Student Volunteering

I have served as a student volunteer in the following conferences in HCI:

July 2019 - Present

Peer Review

I have served as an Associate Chair (AC) in the following conferences in HCI:

I have served as a peer reviewer in the following conferences in HCI:

October 2020 - Present

Organization

Critical Computing Seminar Co-Organizer

I am part of the organizing team for the Critical Computing Seminar, an initiative of the ThirdSpace research lab, Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto. This seminar series is an online virtual monthly event during which we read a new book on computing and discuss it with their author(s). The objective of the seminar is to create a broader understanding of computing from different critical perspectives, including feminism, postcolonialism, postmodernism, intersectionality, etc.

October 2020 - Present

HCI4D @ Thirdspace Co-Organizer

I was part of the organizing team for the HCI4D @ ThirdSpace, a Virtual-CHI event to bring together papers on international development and critical computing from CHI 2020.

July 2020

HerCodeCamp Co-Organizer

I was part of the organizing team for the Her Code Camp, a free computer science camp for senior high school students in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) who identify as a woman, non-binary, or transgender with the goal of hacking the gender gap and helping minority groups grow to their full potential.

Spring 2019

Leadership and Service

Departmental Graduate Student Representative

I served as the departmental graduate student representative for the department of Computer Science Graduate Affairs Committee at the University of Toronto.

November 2021 - September 2022

Grad MetaSkills Seminars Departmental Committee Representative and Leader

I organized and led the Graduate MetaSkills Seminars hosted by the department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. These seminars are meant to provide pointers and guidance about crucial skills as a graduate student. During the seminars, we discussed important topics regarding life in graduate school, research, etc. and shared tips, solutions, and prompts through presentations, discussions, and sharing resources.

January 2019 - January 2021

CSGSBS Treasurer

I served as the treasurer for the The Computer Science Graduate Student Benevolent Society (CSGSBS), the official body representing computer science graduate students at the University of Toronto.

August 2019 - October 2022

News

Participated and Presented at the 2023 ACM CRA-WP Grad Cohort for Women

I participated at the 2023 CRA-WP Grad Cohort for Women, met wonderful peers, and presented a poster on "The Designing for Everyday Decision Making". Here is a photo of me in the beautiful San Francisco to remember this fantastic trip to California!

April 20-22, 2023

Was Awarded the Wolfond Scholarship Program in Wireless Information Technology

I was awarded the Wolfond Scholarship Program in Wireless Information Technology! This scholarship recognizes and supports graduate students who are pursuing research in areas related to systems, wireless, networks, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and digital media, based on academic merit. The recipients of this scholarship are known as “Wolfond Fellows”.

Febuary 2, 2023

Passed the PhD Qualifying Oral Exam

I passed the PhD Qualifying Oral Exam, the first significant milestone in a PhD Program. The purpose of this exam is to assess a student's readiness to advance to the next stage in their PhD program.

December 16, 2022

Finally Participated in My MSc Graduation Ceremony!

Due to COVID-19, the 2020-2021 graduates didn't get the chance to have an in-person convocation at the time of their graduation. I am delighted to finally celebrate my master's graduation together with my loved ones! Here is a photo to remember this snowy day!

December 12, 2022

Got a paper accepted at ACM CSCW 2022

Our paper, "Kabootar": Towards Informal, Trustworthy, and Community-Based FinTech for Marginalized Immigrants, got accepted to ACM CSCW 2022! This year, the ACM CSCW will be held virtually on Nov 8 - Nov 22, 2022.

May 18, 2022

Got a paper accepted at ACM COMPASS 2022

Our paper on The Role of Intermediaries, Terrorist Assemblage, and Re-skilling in the Adoption of Cashless Transaction Systems in Bangladesh got accepted to ACM COMPASS 2022! This year, the ACM COMPASS conference is co-located with ICTD 2022 and will be held June 29-July 1, 2022, at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA.

May 16, 2022

Won the 2nd prize in the Blue Sky Ideas Track at HCOMP 2021

My wonderful co-authors and I won the 2nd prize in the Blue Sky Ideas Track at the HCOMP 2021 Conference.

November 19, 2021

Was Selected As A Student Volunteer (SV) for CSCW 2021

I was selected as a CSCW 2021 Student Volunteer. CSCW SVs are HCI researchers who help run the ACM CSCW conference on computer-supported cooperative work and social computing.

August 31, 2021

Was Awarded the UofT SGS Conference Grant

I was awarded the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies (SGS) Conference Grant for the Winter 2021 cycle. This grant aims to provide added financial support to eligible students who are actively presenting their research – either virtually or in-person – at an academic conference.

May 26, 2021

Was Invited to Join the First Social Computing Systems Camp

I am pleased to have received an invitation to the first Social Computing Systems Summer Camp. The aim of this 3-day camp is to build a community of social computing systems researchers and it features speculative talks, feedback sessions for in-progress work, debates, unconference sessions, and virtual smores.

May 21, 2021

Was Awarded the Canada Graduate Scholarship-Doctoral (CGS D) Scholarship

I was awarded the Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship-Doctoral (CGS D) for the duration of 3 years (total value = $105,000). The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) offers this federal scholarship through a national competition to the top-ranked Postgraduate Scholarships-Doctoral (PGS D) applicants. The prestigious CGS D program is aimed at rewarding and retaining high-calibre doctoral students at Canadian institutions.

April 26, 2021

Was Shortlisted for the UofT TATP TA Excellence Awards

I was shortlisted for the University of Toronto Teaching Assistants’ Training Program (TATP) TA Awards for the 2021 period among 70 nominations from students and faculty. This award is presented annually by TATP at the University of Toronto and seeks to value the work of TAs who regularly inspire and challenge undergraduate students.

March 19, 2021

Was Selected as a Student Volunteer (SV) for CHI 2021

I was selected as a CHI 2021 Student Volunteer (SV). CHI SVs are HCI researchers who help run the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

March 11, 2021

Was Awarded the UofT DCS PhD Travel Conference Grant

I was awarded the 2021 University of Toronto Department of Computer Science PhD Travel Conference Grant! This grant is awarded to full-time PhD students in good standing presenting a paper as a speaker relevant to their academic program.

February 10, 2021

Was selected to participate in the 2021 CRA-WP Grad Cohort for Women

I was selected to participate in the 2021 CRA-WP Grad Cohort for Women on April 23-24, 2021 that is happening virtually this year.

January 27, 2021

Was Awarded the Beatrice “Trixie” Worsley Scholarship

I was awarded the Beatrice “Trixie” Worsley Graduate Scholarship in Computer Science for the 2020-2021 Academic Year! This scholarship (valued $4,000), is awarded on the basis of academic merit to one or more students enrolled in the PhD program who have taken an active role in helping to promote women in the field of computer science.

December 20, 2020

Participated at UofT CompSci SLC Graduate Student Panel

I was a guest at the graduate student panel of the UofT Computer Science Second-Year Learning Community (SLC)!

December 1, 2020

Delivered the Gender and Computing lecture for CSC300

I was the guest lecturer for the Gender and Computing module of CSC300 in Fall 2020. This was my 4th time delivering this lecture!

November 24, 2020

Started Co-organizing the Critical Computing Seminar

I started as part of the organizing team for the Critical Computing Seminar, an initiative of the ThirdSpace research lab, Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto. This seminar series is an online virtual monthly event during which we read a new book on computing and discuss it with their author(s). The objective of the seminar is to create a broader understanding of computing from different critical perspectives, including feminism, postcolonialism, postmodernism, intersectionality, etc.

October 2, 2020

Was Awarded the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)!

I was awarded the OGS scholarship for three consecutive semesters (valued $15,000), starting from September 2020!

September 2020

Co-organized HCI4D @ ThirdSpace

I was one of the organizers of HCI4D @ Third Space, a Virtual-CHI event to bring together papers on international development and critical computing from CHI 2020.

July 1 -2, 2020

Defended Master's and Transitioned to PhD!

I successfully defended my master's thesis and transitioned to the PhD program in Computer Science at UofT!

May 2020

Accepted to Techno 2019 Program

After pitching our project on financial inclusion to the Techno team, our group was selected to be part of this year's Techno Program at UofT!

November 2019

Attended CAN-CWIC 2019

I attended CAN-CWIC 2019 where I also presented a poster on "Informality and Transnational Finance".

November 2019

Pueblo Science Hackathon and People's Choice Award Winner

My teammates and I designed a 3-day course material as part of the computer science and robotics curriculum for high schools in Guyana. Starting with basic programming concepts such as loops and conditions for the first session (using Scratch), students are gradually prepared to build their own robot and program it using Arduino. The second session is dedicated to learning about the different components of a basic robot, their functionalities, and assembling individual parts into a fully functioning robot. At this stage, the students are able to control their robot using a joystick. The robot is called an artist robot (or "Robart"), with the capability of creating unlimited artworks using different utensils. The students can either pre-program the Robart to draw the shapes they want or draw as they go. They can have fun challenges such writing their names or drawing a complicated shape using various utensils (chalk, marker, ink, ...) on the ground. In the third session, students are able to expand their programming knowledge by adding more functionalities or modifying the existing ones to customize their Robart.

September 2019

Received Honerable Mention at FinteQC'19

I presented my work on "Designing Technologies for Financial Transactions Across Borders" at FinteQC'19 conference and received an honerable mention for my abstract and presentation.

June 2019

Personal

Not-So-Fun Facts/Trivia About Me

  • Although I'm not a mathematician, nor does my research relate to mathematics, I have an Erdős number of 5 through my PhD advisor, Prof. Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed. An Erdős number is a way to measure an individual's collaboration with the influential Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős, who collaborated with a great number of mathematicians throughout his career. An Erdős number is essentially a measure of a mathematician's "distance" from Paul Erdős in terms of collaboration.
  • My name will fly on NASA's next mission to Mars! This means that my name (along with the name of other people who signed up) will be etched onto a microchip and placed aboard the next Mars rover, landing on Mars! If you think this is made up, look at my boarding pass:

Places I've been