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Penn State awards Priya Kumar Career Development Professorship

Kumar joined the College of IST in 2021, dedicating her research to exploring societal perspectives and educational methods regarding data privacy,

Priya Kumar, assistant professor in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, has been awarded the college’s PNC Technologies Career Development Professorship. / Penn State.

Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) has awarded the PNC Technologies Career Development Professorship to Priya Kumar, an assistant professor whose innovative research focuses on data privacy, particularly concerning children. 

The three-year professorship, effective from July 1, aims to support outstanding early-career faculty with significant potential. It provides discretionary funding to facilitate research, instruction, educational activities, and related travel.

“I’m deeply honored to be selected as the PNC Technologies Career Development Professor,” said  Kumar, who plans to use the resources to further her research on children’s privacy education. “The College of IST has been such a vibrant place to launch my career as a scholar and educator, and I’m grateful that this award will help keep that momentum going.”

Kumar joined the College of IST in 2021, dedicating her research to exploring societal perspectives and educational methods regarding data privacy, with a particular emphasis on children. Her work advocates for a shift in the discourse and design of digital technologies toward a more networked understanding of privacy and agency, rather than focusing solely on individual control.

Her research has been published in leading journals in the fields of information, communication, and human-computer interaction, and has been highlighted by major media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Wired, and Buzzfeed.

"The PNC Career Development Professorship is a testament to Priya's capabilities as a researcher and leader in the field," said Andrea Tapia, dean of the College of IST. “I am happy to see her recognized with this honor and look forward to her continued research in data privacy. She truly is making an impact.”

Kumar holds a doctoral degree in information studies from the University of Maryland’s College of Information Studies, where her dissertation focused on the privacy implications of parents sharing images of their children on social media, also known as sharenting. She also earned a master’s degree in information with a self-designed concentration in data storytelling from the University of Michigan School of Information, and bachelor’s degrees in government and politics and journalism from the University of Maryland.

The PNC Technologies Career Development Professorship is designed to attract and retain exceptional faculty who make significant contributions through their research and student engagement, enhancing the academic and global community.
 

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