Afsaneh Razi

Afsaneh Razi is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Information Science at Drexel University's College of Computing & Informatics (CCI), where she co-directs the DONUTS (Data Ontology Networks Users Textuality Safety) Collaboratory and directs the ETHOS (Ethical Technology Helping Our Society) Lab. Her research is positioned at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Social Computing, AI/ML, Privacy, and Online Safety, with a focus on designing technologies that facilitate safer online interactions, especially for vulnerable populations.

Education:

• PhD, Computer Science, University of Central Florida
• MS, Computer Science, University of Central Florida
• MS, Software Engineering, Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch
• BS, Computer Science, University of Tehran

Dr. Razi's research focuses on the sociotechnical complexities of online harms, leveraging human-centered machine learning to understand and mitigate risks encountered by vulnerable users online. Her work spans Human-Computer Interaction with emphasis on youth populations, Social Computing examining online communities, AI/ML applications for safety, and Ethics in technology design. She is particularly interested in how AI can balance protection and privacy for young people on social media, and how to develop trauma-informed research practices when studying sensitive topics.

Her recent publications consistently focus on youth online safety, examining sexual risk experiences, AI-induced harassment, and AI's role in peer support. The research employs mixed methods combining qualitative insights with machine learning approaches, with significant attention to Instagram and other social media platforms to understand how young people navigate online risks through human-centered AI solutions.

Scientific Awards:

• Impact Recognition Award (2023) for 'Sliding into My DMs' paper
• Best Paper Honorable Mention at CHI'24 (two papers)
• Faculty Summer Research Award at Drexel University (2023)
• Science Center Health Equity Research Fellowship Award (2023)
• NSF CSGrad4US Fellowship for mentee Jessica Medina (2023)

Dr. Razi actively mentors PhD students in the DONUTS Collaboratory, including Elham Aghakhani, Layla Bouzoubaa, Sanonda Datta Gupta, Matt Namvarpour, and Aria Pessianzade. She has secured multiple research grants, including Drexel's Faculty Summer Research Award to investigate AI's role in teens' online safety and the Science Center Health Equity Research Fellowship for studying social determinants of health for people with epilepsy. Her research is highly interdisciplinary, collaborating with experts across psychology, medicine, and computer science.

Dr. Razi co-directs the DONUTS Collaboratory with Drs. Shadi Rezapour and John S. Seberger, which brings together faculty and PhD students to research online safety, ethics, and AI governance. She also directs the ETHOS Lab focused on ethical technology development. The DONUTS team includes multiple PhD students working on projects related to harm reduction, NLP, social computing, AI, and online safety. Dr. Razi is additionally involved in the MOSafely community, an open-source initiative leveraging evidence-based research and AI to help youth engage more safely online.