Renkai Ma
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Renkai Ma

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Hi! I am an Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati’s School of Information Technology. I was a postdoctoral scholar at Vanderbilt University’s Department of Computer Science, advised by Dr. Pamela J. Wisniewski in 2025. I completed my Ph.D. in Informatics (Human-Computer Interaction) at Pennsylvania State University’s College of Information Sciences and Technology in 2024, advised by Dr. Yubo Kou.

🔬My research My research sits at the intersection of online safety and assistive technology. I investigate the practices, policies, and technological implementations required to create secure, inclusive digital environments. As an interdisciplinary scholar, I use a human-centered approach to address two synergistic areas: (1) shielding users from online harms, such as scams and harassment; and (2) designing AI-driven health and assistive solutions that foster wellbeing and vocational independence for at-risk populations like youth.

Research Interests

  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Social Computing
  • Creator/Content Moderation
  • Content Creation
  • Youth Online Safety
  • Youth Wellbeing & Independence

Experience

UC Logo Assistant Professor
University of Cincinnati’s School of Information Technology
August 2025 – Present · Cincinnati
Vanderbilt Logo Postdoctoral Scholar
Vanderbilt University’s Department of Computer Science
October 2024 – July 2025 · Tennessee
Penn State Logo Doctoral Researcher
Pennsylvania State University’s College of Information Sciences and Technology
August 2020 – August 2024 · Pennsylvania
Meta Logo User Experience (UX) Research Intern
Meta/WhatsApp
May 2023 – August 2023 · California
SiriusXM Logo UX Research Intern
SiriusXM/Pandora
May 2022 – August 2022 · Remote
Syracuse University Logo Research Assistant
Syracuse University
March 2019 – April 2020 · Syracuse
Renkai Ma ©