COSMOS Map
Director
Dr. Nitin Agarwal is the Jerry L. Maulden-Entergy Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor of Information Science at UA Little Rock and Director of the Collaboratorium for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS). He researches cyber information campaigns, social computing, deviant behavior modeling, group dynamics, social-cyber forensics, data mining, and privacy.
Data Engineers
Krithish Goli graduated with a master's degree in computer science from Arizona State University and now works as a Data Engineer at the COSMOS Research Center. His passion lies in understanding distributed systems and how large-scale systems operate. Previously, Krithish spent almost 2 years as a Data Engineer at TCS - Shutterfly, where he specialized in building and managing infrastructure for data storage, processing, and analysis. During his master's program, he also gained experience as a Software Developer Intern, focusing on backend development, at Commvault Systems and Boehringer Ingelheim.
Doctoral Students
Abiola is pursuing a Ph.D. in Computer and Information Sciences at UA Little Rock. He possesses significant experience as a software engineer across organizations in the financial, financial technology, and energy industries. In his most recent experience, Abiola was an iOS engineer for multiple financial institutions. He holds a bachelor's degree in Applied Geology and a master's degree in Exploration Geophysics from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria (FUTA). Abiola is an avid lifelong learner.
Hayder is pursuing his doctoral degree at UA Little Rock. He graduated from Al Nahrain University in Bagdad, Iraq, with a bachelor's degree and master's degree in computer science. His extensive studies focused on web technologies.
Sayantan is a PhD student of Computer & Information Science at UA Little Rock. His professional trajectory encompasses roles as a distinguished Software Developer, contributing his expertise to renowned entities such as Accenture and Cognizant. His scholarly passions converge at the crossroads of Social Computing, domains of Fake News/Misinformation-Propaganda detection, and Discourse analysis. Currently, he lends his acumen as a dedicated Graduate Research Assistant in the esteemed COSMOS lab, engrossed in the spheres of Collective Action, Indo-Pacific dynamics, and Cyberforensics.
Mert is pursuing PhD in Computer and Information Science at UALR. He completed his bachelor's in computer science in 2021. He is interested in data mining, and natural language processing on social media. Currently he is working on recommender bias on YouTube project in COSMOS. In his free time, he plays video games and watch movies.
Rick is a PhD student at the UA Little Rock pursuing a degree in Computers and Information Science. His interests revolve around strategic communications, social network analysis and social cyber forensics.
Katrin Galeano is a PhD student at the UA Little Rock. She majors in Computers and Information Science. Her background is in strategic communications for non-profit and government organizations.
Mayor Inna, a dedicated PhD candidate since 2023, has actively contributed to two significant projects in Cosmos : Vtracker and Narrative Analysis. Hailing from Nepal, she is a firm believer in harnessing technology for the betterment of her community.
In addition to her academic pursuits, Mayor Inna is an avid traveler and a movie enthusiast, constantly seeking new experiences and inspirations.
He received the B.S. degree in international relations from Ege University, ̇Izmir, Turkey, and the M.Phil. degree in international relations from the National Defence University, Islamabad, Pakistan. He is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree in computer and information sciences with the Uni- versity of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, AR, USA.
Mainuddin Shaik is a doctoral Candidate in Information Science. His research interests include social media, social science, information operation and online discourse. He is working as a graduate research assistant for COSMOS lab working on multiple projects from data collection to big data analysis along with his own research on identifying mechanism of dynamic influential operation on blogs, YouTube and Twitter.
Shadi Shajari received her bachelor's degree in information technology engineering from Tehran, Iran and her masters degree in computer science from Pisa University, Italy. She have 8 years experience of software development In Iran and Italy and currently, She is a Ph.D. student in computer and information science at University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She is working as a graduate research assistant at COSMOS.
David is pursuing his Ph.D. in Computer and Information Science at UA Little Rock. He is an adjunct teaching faculty member in the University of Arkansas system and a Principal Engineer at a national telecommunications company.
Niloofar is a Ph.D. student in Information Quality at UA Little Rock. She completed her undergraduate degree in Computer engineering in Iran and I graduated from University of Pisa in Italy with master degree in Data science. She is currently working on "Toxicity on Social Media" in COSMOS research center.
Md Monoarul Islam Bhuiyan is a PhD student in Computer and Information Science at UA Little Rock. He completed his undergraduate degree in Computer Science & Engineering from Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh. He is currently working on several projects including Computational Narratology and Video Characterization at COSMOS research center under the supervision of Dr. Nitin Agarwal.
Emmanuel Addai is a distinguished graduate mathematician, known for his significant contributions to several domains within mathematics. He completed his undergraduate degree in Mathematics Education at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. He went on to earn his MSc in Mathematics from the Taiyuan University of Technology, China, in 2021. Since August, 2023, he has been a Graduate Research Assistant at the COSMOS Research Center, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, pursuing a Ph.D. in Computer and Information Science.
Ridwan is a seasoned data professional with cross-industry experience in data science, machine learning, and natural language processing. He crafts impactful solutions that leverage cutting-edge technologies and research to optimize processes and drive growth. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Computer Science at UALR and contributing to the application of machine learning to social computation at the COSMOS Research Center.
T. Christopher is a PhD student in Computer and Information Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Christopher has master’s degrees in Public Health/Epidemiology and Information Systems Management-Enterprise Security, supplemented by a Postgraduate Diploma in Education. Christopher’s advanced mathematical skills have had great impact across the countries he has worked in, reflecting his commitment to academic excellence and research innovation. His research has covered areas such as cybersecurity in telemedicine and AI.
Outreach Officer
Tenzing is a Master’s student pursuing a degree in Professional and Technical Writing at University of Arkansas at Little Rock. With an undergraduate background in English, editing, and science writing, he hopes to be able to hone his skills in writing and editing COSMOS for both science and technical writing, and to help others polish their writing, as well. He began working for COSMOS in summer of 2023, and currently helps COSMOS as a proofreader and editor. His research interests are argumentation theory, legal rhetoric, and editing for global contexts. Read More
Graduate Students
Tenzing is a Master’s student pursuing a degree in Professional and Technical Writing at University of Arkansas at Little Rock. With an undergraduate background in English, editing, and science writing, he hopes to be able to hone his skills in writing and editing COSMOS for both science and technical writing, and to help others polish their writing, as well. He began working for COSMOS in summer of 2023, and currently helps COSMOS as a proofreader and editor. His research interests are argumentation theory, legal rhetoric, and editing for global contexts.
Manohar Koya is currently pursuing his Master's in Computer Science at UA Little Rock. He completed his bachelor's in CS and have an experience of 1.5 years as backend software engineer. Being an ICPC Regionalist he likes to code competitive. And he is passionate about nature and different cultures.
Imran Mohammed is pursuing his master's degree in computer science department at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He is an experienced professional with expertise in integration platforms, messaging systems, cloud services, and infrastructure management. With prior roles at IBM and Liberty Mutual insurance, he has worked with clients like Panasonic North America, Honda American Motors, Nasco, and Irving Oil. Imran's proficiency in platforms like MuleSoft, IBM ACE/IIB, Kafka, Apache MQ, IBM MQ, Microsoft IIS, Apache Tomcat, IBM HTTP server, Managed File transfer as well as his knowledge of DevOps tools and cloud services such as AWS and Microsoft Azure, demonstrates his ability to deliver effective solutions in diverse environments. With his experience in various technologies, he will bring valuable skills to drive efficiency and innovation in his future projects at COSMOS.
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Precious is an ambitious Master's Student specializing in Business Information Systems and Analytics at the esteemed University of Arkansas at Little Rock. With a solid foundation in the field, he brings valuable experience from his prior role as a Data and Analytics consultant at PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers). During his time there, Precious successfully collaborated with numerous clients, employing data-driven strategies to enhance operations, streamline processes, and mitigate risks.
Currently, Precious is actively engaged in ETL projects and contributing to the Vtracker project as a backend developer. Beyond his professional pursuits, he finds joy in fostering vibrant communities and indulging in his passion for music.
Syed is a Master’s student enrolled in Information Science degree at University of Arkansas at Little Rock. With experience in Data Engineering and DevOps of around 2 years, his expertise lies in creating solutions using NoSQL databases. He has provided organizations with observability products using ELK stack. He is proficient in programming languages such as Java and Python and winning a hackathon has been a defining moment as it provided him with a tremendous sense of accomplishment and validation for his abilities. Beyond his academic and professional pursuits, he finds enjoyment in swimming and playing cricket during his leisure time.
Remi is a Master's student pursuing a degree in Information Science at the University of Arkansas Little Rock. With an undergraduate background in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, he hopes to leverage his tech skills in programming, data analytics, and machine learning to contribute to research projects at COSMOS. He began working for COSMOS in August 2023 and currently helps advance projects on blogosphere analytics, online recommender systems, and testing analytics platforms.
Abiodun Quadri is a first-year University of Arkansas at Little Rock Masters student studying information science. His hometown is Lagos, Nigeria, where he first became interested in technology and data. He actively participates in seminars and workshops offered by the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) to further his professional development and network with other like-minded individuals. In addition, he works as a data analyst on several research projects as a graduate assistant at the Collaboratorium for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS).
Selimhan Dagtas is a research assistant working in the Bias and Toxicity teams at COSMOS. He specializes in web scraping and data analysis. Simultaneously, Selimhan is completing the master's program in information science at UALR. Previously, he completed a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, worked on engineering projects including rockets and tanks, developed a personalized workout app, and helped a tech startup create a background checking tool for landlords by scraping and cross referencing multiple platforms.
Oyindamola, hailing from Lagos, Nigeria, is pursuing a master's in Computer Science at UA Little Rock. At COSMOS, he is part of the BlogTracker development team and the Indo-Pacific research team, and he also works within and manages the COSMOS online infrastructure. Before UA Little Rock, he had received a BSC in Computer Science at Babcock University, and the skills he brings to COSMOS are fullstack software engineering and netwroking.
Grant Manager/Administrative Assistant
Fadime Ledford is a Grant Manager at the COSMOS Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She oversees, manages, monitors, plans, and organizes the administration of designated grants, contracts, and special programs to ensure compliance with all federal, state, and institution policies and procedures.
Fadime earned her Bachelor’s degree of Health Science in Health Information Management, with a minor in Biology, from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2013. Prior to joining UALR, Fadime served as an Audit Coordinator at the Arkansas Department of the Inspector General. Read More