معرفی
Sharon Ferguson is an Assistant Professor in the Management Sciences Department at the University of Waterloo and a faculty affiliate at the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society. Her research focuses on understanding and improving teamwork through digital trace data analysis, particularly in Human-AI collaboration and virtual environments. She holds a PhD in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto (2024), where she also earned a BASc in Industrial Engineering (2020). Her work has been recognized with awards such as the 2023 Teaching Assistant Award and the Reviewer's Favourite Award at the International Conference on Engineering Design. Ferguson has led projects on Human-AI decision-making, student retention in AI, and the impact of remote work on engineering teams. She previously interned at Slack’s Future of Work team and served as President of the Graduate Society of Women Engineers.
Education:
- PhD in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (2024), University of Toronto
- BASc in Industrial Engineering (2020), University of Toronto
Research Interests:
- Computer-Supported Cooperative Work
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Human-AI Collaboration
- Virtual Collaboration
- Engineering Design Processes
- Diversity and Inclusion in STEM
Publications Trends: Her recent work emphasizes leveraging digital communication data to study team dynamics, with a focus on psychological safety, gendered language patterns, and the impact of AI on decision-making. She frequently publishes in top venues like CHI and CSCW, addressing hybrid work challenges and innovation in distributed teams.
Awards and Grants:
- NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship
- Microsoft AI & The New Future of Work Grant (2024)
- Human-AI Interaction Fellowship
- Ethics of AI Fellowship
- Technology and Society Fellowship
Advising & Labs: Currently recruiting graduate students at the University of Waterloo. Active in the Ready Lab (University of Toronto) and COoKIE Group, focusing on algorithmic solutions for shared understanding in teams. She also leads projects on student social belonging and conflict analysis in hybrid design teams.
