Education

Ph.D., Information Studies, In Progress
Supervisor: Karyn Moffatt Ph.D.
School of Information Studies
McGill University, Montréal, Canada

Dissertation Title: Exploring Personal Financial Information Management Among Young Adults

M.A., Social Anthropology, 2011
Supervisor: Naomi Adelson Ph.D.
Department of Anthropology
York University, Toronto, Canada

Thesis Title: Crowdsourcing health information: An ethnographic exploration of public and private health information on patientslikeme.com

Scholarships and Awards

Scholarships

External (Federal)

Doctoral Fellowship, 2015-17
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), $40,000
24 months

Internal (University)

Doctoral Fellowship, 2011-12
Tim Casgrain Fellowship in Information Studies, $20000
12 months

Awards

Merit

Best Paper Award ACM Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW)
Title: Craving, Creating, and Constructing Comfort: Insights and Opportunities for Technology in Hospice 2014
Award
Vivi Martin Fellowship in Information Studies $1500, 2012-13
Award John A. Price Fieldwork Award, York University $500, 2010-11
Distinction Vanier College Peer Advising, York University, 2009-10

Travel

Travel Award Dorothy Carruthers Prize in Archival Studies $1000, 2016-17
Travel Award Graduate Excellence Award in Information Studies $485, 2016-17
Travel Award Dorothy Carruthers Prize in Archival Studies $1000, 2015-16
Travel Award Graduate Excellence Award in Arts $2000, 2015-16
Travel Award Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada $502, 2014-15
Travel Award School of Information Studies Award $500, 2013-14
Travel Award Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada $675, 2012-13

Publications

Journal Articles

Ferguson, R., Crist, E., and Moffatt, K. (2017). A framework for negotiating ethics in sensitive settings: Hospice as a case study. Interacting with Computers, Special Issues on Co-Constructing Meaning: Ethics Matter(s) in Design Research, 29(1):10–26. doi: 10.1093/iwc/iww018

Book Chapters

Ferguson, R. (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.

Refereed Papers in Archival Conference Proceedings

Ferguson, R., Massimi, M. Crist, E., and Moffatt, K. (2014). Craving, Creating, and Constructing Comfort: Insights and Opportunities for Technology in Hospice. Proceedings of the 17th ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing (CSCW 2014), 1479–1490.
[ACM CSCW Best paper award]

Workshop Proceedings

Ferguson, R. (2016). Ethics and the Long-Term Management of Personal Information. Position paper presented at Personal Information Management Workshop 2016 at ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2016), May 7-8, San Jose, California.

Ferguson, R. (2014). Getting Personal: Bereavement Interviewing and Intervening. Position paper presented at Workshop, Co-creating & Identity-Making in CSCW: Revisiting Ethics in Design Research at the ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing (CSCW 2014), Feb 16, 2014, Baltimore, Maryland.

Ferguson, R. (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), Nov 1, Montréal, Québec.

Ferguson, R. (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 at the ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing (CSCW 2013), Feb 24, San Antonio, Texas.

Ferguson, R., 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 at the ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing (CSCW 2013) Feb 24, San Antonio, Texas.

Conference Extended Abstracts, Posters, and Demos

Ferguson, R., 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, Ontario.

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

Ferguson, R. (2013). Exploring Emergent Research Ethics and Attitudes Towards Privacy on PatientsLikeMe.com. Poster Presentation at Social Media and Society 2013, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Ferguson, R. (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. Montréal, Québec.

Theses

Ferguson, R. D. (Forthcoming). Exploring Personal Financial Information Management Among Young Adults. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). McGill University, Montréal, Quebec.

Ferguson, R. D. (2011). Crowdsourcing health information: An ethnographic exploration of public and private health information on patientslikeme.com. (Unpublished master’s thesis). York University, Toronto, Ontario.

Presentations and Talks

Dorey, J., & Ferguson, R. (2017). Research ethics and protecting your research participants Workshop at Archival Education Research Institute (AERI 2017). Toronto, Ontario.

Ferguson, R. (2017). Exploring the personal financial information management of young adults. Personal Digital Archiving 2017 (Palo Alto, California).

Ferguson, R. (2015). In Interfaces We Trust? Exploring Preservation of Personal Financial Information Among Young Adults. Archival Education Research Institute (AERI 2015). College Park, Maryland.

Ferguson R. (2013). From expectation to reality: an exploration of patients’ perspectives on reciprocity and fair use of data within Patientslikeme.com. 6th Annual Web2.U Symposium. Montréal, Québec.

Ferguson, R. (2009). Campus Friction: An Ethnographic Exploration of Protest in Vari Hall, Playing the Field Conference. Toronto, Ontario.

Research and Teaching

Research

Research Assistant, 2011-17
Accessible Computing Technologies Research Group
School of Information Studies, McGill University
Montréal, Canada

Project Title: Supporting Social Interaction During Hospice

Description: Staying connected is a primary concern of hospice and palliative care patients and their families, but managing and coordinating interaction to best meet the varying needs and capabilities of patients is challenging. Using a series of in-depth semi-structured interviews, this project explores this space, with the long-term goal of developing new technologies that address both patient and family needs.

Project Title: Digital Paper-Based Communication Systems

Description: Using participatory design, this project explores the potential of digital paper and pens as a platform for blending the aesthetics of handwritten letters with the convenience of e-mail for older adults.

Graduate Assistant, 2010
Department of Anthropology, York University
Toronto, Canada

Project Title: Social Implications of Space Exploration and Astrobiology Database

Description: The aim of this project is to create a searchable database of resources dedicated to the social science and humanities research that explores the implications of the space exploration and the search for life on other planets.

Teaching

Teaching Assistant, 2012-17
School of Information Studies, McGill University
Montréal, Québec

GLIS 602 Integrating Research and Practice, 2017
GLIS 611 Research Methods and Analysis, 2014, 2013
GLIS 601 Information and Society, 2013, 2012

Teaching Assistant, 2011-12
Department of Anthropology, York University
Toronto, Canada

ANTH 1110 Introduction to Social Anthropology, 2011

Service

Academic Service

Reviewer (Conferences), 2014-17
ACM Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW)
ACM Conference on Computer Human Interactions (CHI)

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

Student Volunteer, 2017
ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Denver, Colorado

Conference Treasurer, 2010
Ethnographic Appetites and Feeding the Senses Conference
York University Social Anthropology Graduate’s Association
Toronto, Canada

Conference Banquet Coordinator, 2009
Playing the Field Conference
York University Social Anthropology Graduate’s Association
Toronto, Canada

University and Departmental Service

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

Secretary, 2015
Association of Information Science and Technology Montréal Student’s Chapter
Montréal, Canada

Interim Communications Officer, 2014
Association of Information Science and Technology Montréal Student’s Chapter
Montréal, Canada

Doctoral Program Representative, 2013
McGill Library and Information Studies Student’s Association
Montréal, Canada

Association Chair, 2010
York University Social Anthropology Graduate’s Association
Toronto, Canada

Association Treasurer, 2009
York University Social Anthropology Graduate’s Association
Toronto, Canada

Peer Advisor, 2009
Vanier College, York University
Toronto, Canada

Community Service

Vice-President and Communication Officer, 2015-18
Board of Directors
Céu do Montréal, Eclectic Centre for the Universal Flowing Light
Montréal, Québec

Archival Technician, 2011-13
Reserves Collection
Archives gaies du Québec
Montréal, Canada

Professional Association and Research Consortium Memberships

Student Member
The Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T)
Association of Computing Machinery (ACM)
Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP)

Contact

School of Information Studies
McGill University
3661 rue Peel
Montréal, Québec
H2W 2K2
Canada

connect@robertdouglasferguson.com
SIS Tel.: (514) 398-4204
SIS Fax: (514) 398-7193