I am an Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science at the University of Mississippi. My work explores online security and privacy from the user perspectives understanding their perceptions and behavior and designing and evaluating tools and interventions to support them.
Research Interests
- Human–Computer Interaction for Security and Privacy: designing and evaluating usable security systems, with a focus on aligning warnings and notifications with user cognition and behavior.
- Social Engineering and Deceptive Online Media: investigating clickbait, and AI-driven manipulation, and developing solutions that counteract these tactics.
- Understanding Digital Tools in Healthcare: studying how healthcare workers interact with digital tools that support decision-making, usability, and trust in clinical contexts.
- User Mental Models of Risk and Technology: uncovering how people conceptualize threats, security mechanisms, and technologies, and applying these insights to improve system design.
- Computing for Public Good: applying interdisciplinary methods across HCI, cybersecurity, and psychology to address societal challenges in trust, safety, and digital resilience.
Biography
Ankit Shrestha is an Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science at the University of Mississippi. His research lies at the intersection of Human–Computer Interaction, Cybersecurity, and Online Privacy, with a focus on how people understand and respond to risk in digital environments. He investigates social engineering and deceptive online media such as clickbait, designs narrative-driven and behaviorally informed interventions to improve security outcomes, and explores how humans interact with digital tools to enhance usability, trust, and decision-making. His work bridges computing and society, aiming to build safer and more resilient digital systems.
Education
BE Computer Engineering, Tribhuvan University, IOE, Pulchowk Campus (2018)
Ph.D. Computer Science, Utah State University (2025)