Romilla Syed

Romilla Syed is an Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director for MS programs in Information Technology and Business Analytics, as well as certificate programs in Cybersecurity and Business Analytics at the University of Massachusetts Boston's College of Management, Department of Management Science & Information Systems. She was the 2024-25 Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity and has established herself as a leading researcher in cybersecurity, digital organization, and computational analytics.

Dr. Syed received her PhD and MS in Computer Information Systems from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her educational background has provided a strong foundation for her interdisciplinary research at the intersection of technology, security, and social dynamics.

Dr. Syed's research centers on cybersecurity and the bright and dark sides of digital platforms. She employs computational, data analytics, and artificial intelligence-based approaches to pursue an interdisciplinary research agenda with the overarching goal of monitoring and protecting the digital information space. Her work spans three key themes: Digital Organizing, which examines how digital tools and platforms support or deter efforts toward societal goals; Cybersecurity, which investigates individual and organizational security through behavioral and design science lenses; and Computational Analytics, which focuses on advanced computational techniques to analyze complex datasets. Her research on designing artificial intelligence applications to counter fabricated dissent while preserving democratic discourses has garnered external funding from several organizations.

Her extensive publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on how digital platforms shape social movements, cybersecurity practices, and information dissemination. Recent work shows increasing attention to health misinformation during the pandemic, toxic speech in political discourse, and the application of AI to combat digital misinformation. Her research bridges technical and social perspectives, often employing mixed-method approaches that combine computational analysis with theoretical frameworks from social sciences.

Dr. Syed's scholarly contributions have been recognized with several prestigious awards:

• Best Paper Award at the Academy of Management
• Best Track Paper Award at the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
• Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity (2024-25)

As Graduate Program Director, Dr. Syed oversees the MS Information Technology and MS Business Analytics programs, as well as certificate programs in Cybersecurity and Business Analytics. Her research has received external funding for projects related to AI applications for countering digital disinformation while preserving democratic discourse. She serves on the editorial boards of several leading journals and conferences in her field, contributing to the advancement of knowledge in information systems and cybersecurity.

Dr. Syed's work involves interdisciplinary collaboration across computer science, social sciences, and information systems, reflecting the complex nature of digital security and organization challenges in contemporary society.