CV

February 2025

Robert Douglas Ferguson

Marie Sklodoska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Research Fellow
School of Information and Communication Studies
SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics
University College Dublin

robert.ferguson[at]ucd.ie
robert.douglas.ferguson[at]mail.mcgill.ca
www.robertdouglasferguson.com

Research Interests

personal information management, personal archiving, records management, human-data interactions, human-computer interactions, information behaviour, information work, information practices, information ethics

Education

Degrees

2023    Doctor of Philosophy
Information Studies, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
Thesis Title: Exploring Personal Financial Information Management of Young Adults 
Thesis Supervisors: Dr. Karyn Moffatt Ph.D., Dr. Rebekah Willson, Ph.D.

2012    Master of Arts 
Social Anthropology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
Thesis Title: Crowdsourcing health information: An ethnographic exploration of public and private health information on PatientsLikeMe.com
Thesis Supervisors: Dr. Naomi Adelson Ph.D., Dr. Natasha Myers Ph.D.

2009    Bachelor of Arts with Honours (Cum Laude)
York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
Maj/Min Anthropology & Psychology

Professional Certificates

In progress    UCD Professional Certificate in Creativity and Innovation for Teaching
Innovation Academy, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland

In progress    PM² Essentials Certification
PM².EU Centre, Schumanplein, Brussels

Experience

Research

2024-Present    Postdoctoral Research Fellow
School of Information and Communication Studies, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics, University College Dublin (Affiliate)
Project Title: Dementia Data Reciprocity Project
Supervisor: Dr. Amber Cushing Ph.D.

2012-2022    Research Research Assistant
Accessible Computing Technologies Research Group, McGill University, Montréal, QC
Project Title: Digital Paper-Based Communication Systems
Project Title: Supporting Social Interaction During Hospice
Primary Investigator: Dr. Karyn Moffatt Ph.D.

2011    Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Anthropology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
Project Title: Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence Social Research Database
Primary Investigator: Dr. Kathryn Denning Ph.D.

Teaching

2024      Module Coordinator (Undergraduate Program)
School of Information and Communication Studies, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
IS30490: Personal Info Management (Fall - In Person)

2012-2017    Teaching Assistant (MLIS Program)
School of Information Studies McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
GLIS 602: Integrating Research and Practice (Winter 2017 – In Person)
GLIS 601: Information and Society (Fall/Winter 2014 – In Person)
GLIS 611: Research Methods and Analysis (Fall 2013 – In Person)
GLIS 601: Information and Society (Fall/Winter 2013 – In Person)
GLIS 601: Information and Society (Fall/Winter 2012 – In Person)

2011    Teaching Assistant (Undergraduate Program)
Department of Anthropology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
ANTH 1110: Introduction to Social Anthropology (Fall/Winter 2011 – In Person)

Professional

2021    Project Coordinator
Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative (PSFC), San Francisco, CA, USA
Project Title: Oregon Data Collection Initiative (Independent Consultant)
Project Supervisor: Dr. Alexandre Lehmann Ph.D., Director of Scientific Collaborations

2015-2018    Board of Directors
Céu do Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
Project Title: CSDA Section 56 Exemption (Vice President)
Project Title: Estrela Fardamento (Project Manager)
Project Title: CdM Website (Communications Officer)

2017    Research Consultant
Avataq Cultural Institute, Montréal, QC, Canada
Project Title: Database Finding Aid (Volunteer)
Project Supervisor: Sarah Ann Gauntlett MLIS

2011-2013    Archival Technician (Reserves Collection)
Archives gaies du Québec, Montréal, QC, Canada
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Higgins Ph.D.

Competitive Grants and Fellowships

2023    NeuroInsight Marie-Sklodowska Curie Actions Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
€84,400 over 24 months
Project Title: Dementia Data Reciprocity Project (DDRP)
Supervisor: Dr. Amber Cushing Ph.D.

2014    Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowship
$40,000 (CAD) over 24 months    
Project Title: Exploring the Personal Financial Information Management of Young Adults
Supervisor: Dr. Karyn Moffatt Ph.D.

Awards, Honours and Scholarships

Graduate

2017    Grad Excellence Award, School of Information Studies, McGill University, $485 (CAD)

2017    SIS Grad Travel Award, School of Information Studies, McGill University, $1000 (CAD)

2016    SIS Grad Travel Award, School of Information Studies, McGill University, $1000 (CAD)

2016    Grad Excellence Award, School of Information Studies, McGill University, $2000 (CAD)

2015    GREAT Award, School of Information Studies, McGill University, $502 (CAD)

2014    Best Paper Award, ACM Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW 2014) 
Title: Craving, Creating, and Constructing Comfort: Insights and Opportunities for Technology in Hospice, non-monetary

2013    Graduate Excellence Award, School of Information Studies, McGill University, $3000 (CAD)

2013    Graduate Excellence Award, School of Information Studies, McGill University, $2000 (CAD)

2013    School of Information Studies Award, School of Information Studies, McGill University, $500 (CAD)

2012    GREAT Award, School of Information Studies, McGill University, $675 (CAD)

2012    Vivi Martin Fellowship in Information Studies, School of Information Studies, McGill University, $1500 (CAD)

2012    Graduate Excellence Award, School of Information Studies, McGill University, $3600 (CAD)

2011    Tim Casgrain Fellowship in Information Studies, School of Information Studies, McGill University, $10,000 (CAD) over 12 months

2011    Graduate Excellence Fellowship, School of Information Studies, McGill University, $10,000 (CAD) over 12 months

2010    York Graduate Scholarship (Summer), Department of Social Anthropology, York University

2010    York Graduate Scholarship (Winter), Department of Social Anthropology, York University

2010    John A. Price and Joan Rayfield Fieldwork Award, Department of Social Anthropology, York University, $500 (CAD)

2009    York Graduate Scholarship (Fall), Department of Social Anthropology, York University

Undergraduate

2009    Peer Advising Distinction, Vanier College, York University, (non-monetary)

2009    Member of Dean's Honour Roll, Faculty of Arts, York University, (non-monetary)

2008    Member of Dean's Honour Roll, Faculty of Arts, York University, (non-monetary)

2007    York University Continuing Student Scholarship, Faculty of Arts, York University

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

[J2]    Ferguson, R. D., Willson, R., Moffatt, K. (Forthcoming) "Am I being responsible?": Navigating coming-of-age transitions through personal financial information management (PFIM). JASIST Special Issue on "The Theory and Practice of Informational Transitions".

[J1]    Ferguson, R. D., Crist, E., Moffatt, K. (2017). A Framework for Negotiating Ethics in Sensitive Settings: Hospice as a Case Study, Interacting with Computers, Volume 29, Issue 1, 1 January 2017, Pages 10–26, https://doi.org/10.1093/iwc/iww018

Edited Book Chapters

[BC1]    Ferguson, R. D. (2017). Negotiating Consent, Compensation, and Privacy in Internet Research: PatientsLikeMe.com as a Case Study. In K. Kinder-Kurlanda, K. & M. Zimmer (Eds.), Internet Research Ethics for the Social Age: New Challenges, Cases, and Contexts. Switzerland: Peter Lang. https://doi.org/10.3726/b11077

Peer-Reviewed Conference Papers

[C2]    Cushing, A. L., Rayes, V., Ferguson, R. D. (2023). Conversations on the Invisibility of PIM, Approaching Themes, and New Avenues of Research. 86th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information, Science & Technology (ASIS&T 2023). https://doi.org/10.1002/pra2.814

[C1]    Ferguson, R. D., Massimi, M. Crist, E., and Moffatt, K. (2014). Craving, Creating, and Constructing Comfort: Insights and Opportunities for Technology in Hospice [ACM CSCW Best Paper Award]. Proceedings of the 17th ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing (CSCW 2014), 1479–1490. https://doi.org/10.1145/2531602.2531631

Peer-Reviewed Workshop Papers

[W8]    Ferguson, R. D. (Submitted). De facto personal financial archives: Designing around opportunism, optimism, and benign neglect of personal financial information. Position paper submitted to Workshop on the Future of Money and HCI. ACM Conference on Computer Human Interaction 2025, Yokohama, JP.

[W7]    Ferguson, R. D. (2022). Personal Financial Records Management for Successful Aging and the Provision of Care. Position paper presented at Personal Information Management Workshop 2022, Annual Meeting of the Association of Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T 2022), Oct 29, 2022, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. http://pimworkshop.org/2022/docs/Ferguson_PS.pdf.

[W6]    Ferguson, R. D., Yong, X., Pontual Falcão, T., and Moffatt, K. (2017). "I Crack My Brain": the Gap Between Older Adults' Efforts and Participatory Design Demands. Position paper presented at Problems in Practice: Understanding Design Research by Critiquing Cases Workshop, ACM Conference on Computer Human Interactions (CHI 2017), May 7, 2017, Denver, CO, USA. https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/papers/bv73c609t?locale=en

[W5]    Ferguson, R. D. (2016). Ethics and the Long-Term Management of Personal Information. Position paper presented at the Personal Information Management (PIM) Workshop at Association of Computing Machinery's (ACM) Conference on Computer-Human Interactions (CHI) 2016. May 7, 2016, San Jose, CA, USA. https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/papers/5x21tm98m?locale=en

[W4]    Ferguson, R. D. (2014). Getting Personal: Bereavement Interviewing and Intervening. Position paper presented at Co-creating & Identity-Making in CSCW: Revisiting Ethics in Design Research Workshop, ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing (CSCW 2014), Feb 16, 2014, Baltimore, MD, USA. https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/papers/r207tv54g?locale=en

[W3]    Ferguson, R. D., Moffatt, K., and Massimi, M. (2013). Formal and informal messages: Early reflections on how context and content influence ICT use at the end-of-life. Position paper presented at Beyond Formality: Informal Communication in Health Practices Workshop, the ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing (CSCW 2013), Feb 24, 2013, San Antonio, TX, USA. https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/papers/h989r863x?locale=en

[W2]    Ferguson, R. D. (2013). Using the Information Senses Framework to Think About Patient-Centered Biomedical Recordkeeping. Position paper presented at Beyond Formality: Informal Communication in Health Practices Workshop, ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing (CSCW 2013), Feb 24, 2013, San Antonio, TX, USA. https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/papers/hd76s564f?locale=en

[W1]    Ferguson, R. D. (2013). An Anthropological Approach to Personal Information Management, Position paper presented at Personal Information Management Workshop 2013: Beyond the Cloud: Rethinking Information Boundaries, Annual Meeting of the Association of Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T 2013), Nov 1, 2013, Montréal, QC, Canada.

Peer-Reviewed Conference Presentations

[CP6] Cushing, A. L., & Ferguson, R. D. (Accepted). Scoping personal archives: critical reflections on a methodological approach. Presentation at Libraries and Information Institutions in the Digital Age (LIDA 2025). Dubrovnik, Croatia.

[CP5]    Dorey, J., & Ferguson, R. D. (2017). Research Ethics and protecting your research participants. Presentation at Archival Education Research Institute (AERI 2017). Toronto, ON, Canada.

[CP4]    Ferguson, R. D. (2017). Exploring the personal financial information management of young adults. Paper Presentation at Personal Digital Archiving (PDA 2017), Palo Alto, CA, USA. https://personaldigitalarchiving2017.sched.com/event/9JWz/session-1-research-horizons

[CP3]    Ferguson, R. D. (2017). Opening the Door: The Story of Céu do Montréal’s Quest for Religious Freedom in Canada. Presentation at Mapping the Mind Conference 2017, Toronto, ON, Canada.

[CP2]    Ferguson, R. D. (2015). In Interfaces We Trust? Exploring Preservation of Personal Financial Information Among Young Adults. Paper Presentation at Archival Education Research Institute, (AERI 2015), College Park, MD, USA.

[CP1]    Ferguson R. D. (2013). From expectation to reality: an exploration of patients’ perspectives on reciprocity and fair use of data within Patientslikeme.com. Paper Presentation at 6th Annual Web2.U Symposium 2013. Montréal, QC, Canada.

Refereed Poster Presentations

[P6]    Pontual Falcão, T., Yong, X., Sulmont, E., Ferguson, R. D., and Moffatt, K. (2017). A Digital Pen and Paper Email System for Older Adults. Paper Adjunct Publication of the 30th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, UIST '17, 189–191. doi: https://doi.org/10.1145/3131785.3131827

[P5]    Ferguson, R. D., Massimi, M., Crist, E., and Moffatt, K. (2013). Supporting communication at the end-of-life: Comparing ICT use by families in hospice settings. Poster presentation at the Annual General Meeting of the Graphics, Animation and New media (GRAND) Network of Centers of Excellence, (GRAND 2013), Toronto, ON.

[P4]    Ferguson, R. D. (2013). The Information Senses of Whole Person Care: A PatientsLIkeMe.com Case Study. Poster presentation at First World Congress on Whole Person Care, WPC 2013, Montréal, QC.

[P3]    Ferguson, R. D. (2013). Exploring Emergent Research Ethics and Attitudes Towards Privacy on PatientsLikeMe.com. Poster Presentation at Social Media and Society, SMS 2013, Halifax, NS.

[P2]    Ferguson, R. D. (2012). What Does Your Username and Picture Mean/Come From: Serendipitous Identity Discovery when Data-Mining Personal Health Information. Poster Presentation at SCORE: Serendipity, Chance and Opportunity in Information Discovery Workshop 2013, School of Information Studies, Montréal, QC.

[P1]    Ferguson, R. D. (2009). Campus Friction: An Ethnographic Exploration of Protest in Vari Hall. Paper Presentation at Playing the Field Student Conference 2009, Toronto, ON.

Invited Talks

[T1]    Ferguson, R. D. (2023) Coming of Age Through Personal Finance. Paper presented at Ofer Bergman’s Personal Information Management (PIM) Virtual Seminar, on 19 January.

Research Institutes

2023    Mentee, Consortium for the Science of Sociotechnical Systems (CSST) Summer Research Institute. Boulder, CO.

2017    Mentee, Archival Education Research Institute (AERI). Toronto, ON.

2015    Mentee, Archival Education Research Institute (AERI) College Park, MD.

Academic Service

Research

2024    Paper Reviewer, Journal of Documentation

2024    Paper Reviewer, Journal of Information Processing and Management

2023    Poster Reviewer, ACM CSCW Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Work

2023    Paper Reviewer, International Journal of Human-Computer Studies

2023    Paper Reviewer, ACM DIS Conference on Designing Interactive Systems

2023    Paper Reviewer, ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

2018    Paper Reviewer, ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

2018    Student Volunteer, ACM CHI 2018 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Montréal, QC

2017    Paper Reviewer, ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

2017    Poster Reviewer, ACM CSCW Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Work

2017    Doctoral Organizing Subcommittee, Archival Education Research Institute (AERI), Toronto, ON

2017    Student Volunteer, ACM CHI 2017 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Denvir, CO

2016    Paper Reviewer, ACM CSCW Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Work

2015    Paper Reviewer, ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

2015    Poster Reviewer, ACM CSCW Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Work

2014    Paper Reviewer, ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

2013    Student Volunteer, Annual Meeting of Association of Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T), Montréal, QC

2010    Conference Treasurer, Ethnographic Appetites and Feeding the Senses Graduate Student Conference, York University Social Anthropology Graduates Association (SAGA)

2009    Conference Banquet Coordinator, Playing the Field Graduate Student Conference, York University Social Anthropology Graduates Association (SAGA)

University

2024    Postdoctoral Representative,  School of Information and Communication Studies, University College Dublin

2017    Doctoral Student Representative, Information Studies Cyclical Program Review 
School of Information Studies, McGill University

2016    Co-organizer, Montréal Psychedelic Dinner featuring Dr. Rick Doblin
Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP) McGill Chapter

2015    Secretary, Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) Montréal Student’s Chapter, McGill University

2014    Communications Officer, Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) Montréal Student’s Chapter, McGill University

2013    Doctoral Program Representative, McGill Library and Information Studies Student's Association (MISSA), McGill University

2010    Association President, York University Social Anthropology Graduates Association (SAGA), York University

2009    Association Treasurer, York University Social Anthropology Graduates Association (SAGA), York University

2008   Undergraduate Peer Advisor, Vanier College, York University

2007   Undergraduate Representative, SEXGEN Committee, York University

Association Memberships

2024-Present    Member, Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T)

2014-2023    Student Member, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

2014-2023    Student Member, Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T)

2012-2023    Student Member, McGill Information Studies Students Association (MISSA)

2015-2017    Collective Member, Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP) McGill Chapter

2014-2016    Student Member, Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) Montréal Student’s Chapter, McGill University