Dipto Das

I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto, where I work with Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed at the Dynamic Graphics Project Lab and Shion Guha at the Human-Centered Data Science Lab. I am also working as an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Information Science at the University of Colorado Boulder.

I am interested in human-computer interaction and social computing. My prior research explored how sociotechnical systems (e.g., online communities, algorithms, datasets, content moderation) support and impede the identity expression of colonially marginalized and indigenous communities. I am currently seeking to understand:

• People's technology-mediated narrative practices regarding contemporary sociopolitical issues

• Language technologies' ethics responding to different identities and sociocultural practices

• Ways in which computational analyses can inform policies and design

As a mixed-method researcher, I use both qualitative (e.g., trace ethnography, interviews) and quantitative (e.g., machine learning, surveys, statistics) approaches to answer questions that challenge the status quo of computer science. My works often draw on critical theories (e.g., postcolonial, decolonial, feminist) while contributing to conversations on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, and nationality in domains like content creation, platform governance, monetization, healthcare, higher education, immigration, etc. My works have appeared at prestigious Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) venues like CHI, CSCW, and ICTD and have been covered in mainstream media.

Education:

• PhD in Information Science, University of Colorado Boulder (2024)

• MS in Information Science, University of Colorado Boulder (2023)

• MS in Computer Science, Missouri State University (2019)

• BSEngg in Computer Science and Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (2017)

Selected Publications (full list):

• Das et al., Reimagining Communities through Transnational Bengali Decolonial Discourse with YouTube Content Creators (PACMHCI: CSCW 2024)

• Das* et al., The Politics of Fear and the Experience of Bangladeshi Religious Minority Communities Using Social Media Platforms (PACMHCI: CSCW 2024), *=co-led

• Das et al., The "Colonial Impulse" of Natural Language Processing: An Audit of Bengali Sentiment Analysis Tools and Their Identity-based Biases (CHI 2024)

• Das et al., Collaborative Identity Decolonization as Reclaiming Narrative Agency: Identity Work of Bengali Communities on Quora (CHI 2022)

• Das et al., "Jol" or "Pani"?: How Does Governance Shape a Platform’s Identity? (PACMHCI: CSCW 2021), Best paper honorable mention (top 5%), Recognition for Diversity & Inclusion.

In Public Press:

• Feb '24: The Prothom Alo, "ইউটিউব, ফেসবুকসহ বিভিন্ন মাধ্যমে বাঙালিদের প্রতি বৈষম্য খুঁজে বের করেন দীপ্ত"

• Jan '24: The Atlantic, "If There Are No Stupid Questions, Then How Do You Explain Quora?"

• Jul '22: XRDS: Crossroads (The ACM Magazine for Students), "Decoloniality in computing: an interview with Dipto Das"

• Nov '16: The Daily Star, "Pioneros 2016: Engineers take on the corporate world"