Divakaran Liginlal

Divakaran Liginlal (Lal) is a Teaching Professor of Information Systems at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College. With a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona and prior teaching experience at institutions including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he has received multiple accolades including the Mabel Chipman Award for teaching excellence. His research focuses on information security, human-computer interaction, and decision support systems, with notable work on web accessibility, cultural adaptation in e-commerce, and healthcare privacy. Supported by organizations like Microsoft and Qatar Foundation, his interdisciplinary approach bridges technology, policy, and pedagogy.

Education: Lal holds a B.S. in Telecommunication Engineering from CET, an M.S. in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Science, and a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems from the University of Arizona.

Research Interests: Lal's work spans information security frameworks, cross-cultural UX design, and digital governance. He explores how technology intersects with societal needs, particularly in aging populations and heritage preservation. Recent studies include AI applications for cultural archives and regulatory effectiveness in digital economies.

Awards: In addition to teaching awards, he received the Lawrence J. Larson Grant for curriculum innovation and multiple grants supporting his research. His work has been published in JMIS, Communications of the ACM, and IEEE journals.

Teaching & Grants: Supported by Microsoft, HP, and Qatar Foundation, his pedagogical innovations include case-method teaching and interdisciplinary collaborations between writing and information systems programs. He emphasizes problem-scoping in service-learning experiences to develop future IS leaders.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with Wikimedia on content collaboration studies and leads projects at CMU's Qatar campus focusing on digital governance challenges in the Arabian Gulf region.