Carrigan Lab Research Team
Dr. Coleen Carrigan
(she/her/hers)
Principal Investigator
Coleen Carrigan is a Professor at the University of Virginia. In 2025, Carrigan received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Her book, Cracking the Bro Code, is available from MIT Press.
Henry Allen
(he/him/his)
Lab Manager
Henry Allen is a Bachelor of Arts graduate from the University of Virginia. He majored in Foreign Affairs and minored in Korean and Data Science. Within the Valuing the Social in Computing Lab, he reviews emerging literature on social and political challenges within the technology industry, specifically focusing on its connection to government. Outside of the lab, he studies international relations, with a concentration on East Asia. From South Korean developmental corporate structures to the effects of Japanese colonialism on current political affairs, he engages with political science and legal history as his primary studies. Through his work in the lab, his aspirations are to review the intersection of corporations, data privacy, and surveillance, reveal the continued harm of ‘techno-orientalism,’ and explore how artificial chatbots interact with copyright and intellectual property law.
Kiwakibt melaku
(she/her/hers)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Kiwakibt Melaku is a fourth-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia, double-majoring in Computer Science and Foreign Affairs, and aiming to minor in Science and Technology Policy. Her research interests lie at the intersection of emerging technology and global policy, particularly in areas such as cybersecurity, ethical tech governance, and data privacy. Within the Valuing the Social in Computing Lab, she aims to explore how social values such as race, gender, and power shape tech spaces and how biases are able to manifest in computing environments. Kiwakibt aims to gain skills in data management and case study analysis. She hopes to contribute to the creation of emerging technology and policies that are able to promote equity and accountability across engineering fields.
Karan Kotadia
(he/him/his)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Karan Kotadia is a second-year student in The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Virginia intending to major in Computer Engineering. His research interests include developing insights into the underrepresentation in engineering and technology, as well as examining the implications of major technology companies on users, customers, and employee experiences. His work will aim to provide practical and theoretical frameworks that support inclusive technological growth as well as help bridge the gap between principled engineering ethics and both recognized and unrecognized biases. Over the course of his work in the lab, Karan wants to enhance his expertise in social sciences, qualitative research-based procedures, and case studies.
Jocelyn le
(she/her/they/them)
Graduate Research Assistant
Jocelyn Le is a second-year Master of Science student at the University of Washington studying Human Centered Design and Engineering. They graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Computational Media, and they intend to pursue work at the doctoral level after completing their Master’s. Within the Valuing the Social in Computing Lab, she reviews literature on computing’s impact upon marginalized identity groups as well as works that examine the computing industry through a critical theoretical lens. Her research work currently examines how educational technology can help bridge audiences’ understanding of traditionally academic topics and how gender biases shape and are shaped by computing education. Through their work in the lab, Jocelyn aspires to gain insights into how inequities persist in computing so they can better create spaces of care and belonging in STEM.
RECENT accomplishments
2025-2028
Copenhaver Fellow
At the UVA School of Engineering Spring All Hands meeting on April 30, Dean Jennifer West celebrates with Coleen Carrigan the Copenhaver Fellowship, awarded to associate professors for research excellence.
2026 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Winner
A.J. is a second-year PhD/MA student in Medical Anthropology at Southern Methodist University. His current research interests include bioethics, death and dying, artificial intelligence (AI), and end-of-life care. He was a member of the Valuing the Social in Computing Lab (2022-25) supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU).
"The proportion of older adults in the U.S. is at an all-time high and expected to increase in the coming decade. This demographic shift is happening alongside efforts to expand AI integration in healthcare and new legislation requiring AI use to be disclosed to patients. My graduate research will investigate how patients, families, and end-of-life care providers are navigating these changes. Due to my experience in the Valuing the Social in Computing Lab, I bring a critical lens to AI, in which I seek to identify pressing concerns surrounding its use in end-of-life care and uplifting patient perspectives in conversations often led by medical professionals and other experts." -A.J. Nicholson
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Winner
Sophie Klitgaard, former REU Stipend Awardee in the Carrigan Lab, wins National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
“While concerns over privacy are central to many high profile debates surrounding computer science and technology fields, relatively little research has investigated what privacy is or how it operates outside of the limited context of digital communications. My graduate research will address this critical gap in knowledge by examining how conceptualizations of privacy vary as a function of social and environmental contexts. In the coming years, I hope to utilize the findings of this research to push for informed public policy and user privacy protections.” -Sophie Klitgaard
REU Site Participant Award, 2022
Madison Green, National Science Foundation Division of Engineering Education and Centers conference in Virginia
Photo Credit: Dr. Christine Grant
Lab Alumni
Former Doctoral Research Assistants: Burren Peil, Katie Kuhl, Saejin Kwak Tanguay
Former Graduate Research Assistants: Danya Khreshi
Former Undergraduate Research Assistants: Shivam Raigaga, AJ Nicholson, Elyse Undan, Nifasha Diomede, Selah Mitchell, Miguel Del Real, Erin McDaniels, Madison Witters Green, Sophie Elizabeth Klitgaard, Clara Atwell, Siena Nicole Parsons, Jet J. Tan, Ell Hundertmark, Abibat Rahman-Davies, Gabriel Medina-Kim, Abigail Craig, Alana Salas-Yoshii, Noah Krigel, Luci Simpson, Mira Ambika Banerjee Brown, Rachel Kangas, Michelle Bardini, Frances Giffrey, Tas Thienpothong, Kelsey Molidor
Former STEM and VISTA Associates: Monica Singer, Emily Liptow, Chris Basurto