Leaders
Photo by: Brian Busher
DeeDee Bennett-Gayle, Ph.D.
Dr. Bennett-Gayle is an associate professor in the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Department at the University at Albany, SUNY. She leads the ESET lab and her research broadly examines the influence and integration of advanced technologies on the practice of emergency management, and for use by often marginalized populations.
Photo by: Brian Busher
Xiaojun (Jenny) Yuan
Dr. Yuan is an associate professor in the Information Science Department at the University at Albany, SUNY. She co-leads the ESET lab and her research focus is on human-computer interaction. She works primarily with socially vulnerable populations such as older adults.
Current Students
Yvonne Appiah Dadson
Yvonne Appiah Dadson is a Ph.D. Candidate in Information Science. She received her Masters of Public Administration from the University of North Texas, her Masters of Philosophy in Economics at the University of Ghana, and her Bachelors of Arts in Economics from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
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Yanjun Dong
Yanjun is a doctoral student in Social Welfare at the State University of New York at Albany. Her research interests include aging, dementia, the effects of climate change on older people, and elder abuse. Yanjun has been involved in research projects on vital aspects of the aging trend, including health-related concerns, the intricacies of caregiving, elder abuse, and the social and environmental challenges older people face.”
Jeesoo Jung
Jeesoo Jung is a doctoral student in Social Welfare at UAlbany, with research interests focusing on trauma, resilience, and at-risk populations. She holds licenses as a social worker in both New York State and South Korea. Jeesoo earned her Master of Social Work degree from UAlbany and MA in Social Economy from Ewha Womans University, where she obtained a BA in Social Welfare and a Bachelor of Communication and Media.
Nisa Albert
Nisa Albert is a doctoral student in Information Science. Her primary specialization is Data Analytics and her secondary is Information, Organization, and Environment. She has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Master’s in Information Systems.
Mahsa Goodrazi
Mahsa Goodarzi is a doctorate student in Information Science. She has a Bachelor’s in Applied Mathematics from Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, a Master of Arts in Fashion Studies from Parsons School of Design, and a Master of Science in Media Management from The New School in New York, where she was also an Impact Entrepreneurship Fellow.
Oyeronke Ogunbayo
Oyeronke Ogunbayo holds BSc. and MSc. in Estate Management from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife,Nigeria. Her experience includes risk factors assessment to guide real estate decision-making processes. Oyeronke’s research interest will focus on managing the risks of extreme events and disasters with vulnerable populations from the social,physical, and built environment dimensions in enhancing mitigation decision-making process.
Prabin Sharma
Prabin Sharma holds a M.S. in Emergency Management and Disaster Science from the University of North Texas and a B.E. in Civil Engineering from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. His experience includes contributions to community development, infrastructure projects and disaster response most notably during the 2015 Nepal earthquake. Prabin’s research interests focus on community-centered disaster risk reduction, the human dimensions of hazards, and disaster recovery processes.
Former ESET student researchers & visitors
Andres Mady-Aguiar
Andres Mady-Aguiar is a senior in his Bachelor’s of Homeland Security. Originally from Long Island, NY, Andres will be entering into the Marine Corps as a Second Lieutenant after earning his degree. He is hoping to go further into the realm of federal agencies such as the FBI or DEA.
Natasha Edwards
Natasha Edwards a dual major senior graduating in Spring 2024. She is also an incoming Master’s student in Public Administration at University at Albany, SUNY. She has been an undergraduate research assistant at the E2SET lab since the Spring of 2022. She hopes to pursue nonprofit/pubic management or policy research and has completed extensive research, under the mentorship of Dr. Bennett-Gayle, about discussions of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sameeha Liton
Sameeha Liton is a sophomore undergraduate pursuing her Bachelor’s in Computer Science and Anthropology. She wants to continue pursuing her interests in technology and social equity in her future research and professional experiences.
Landon McConnell
Landon McConnell is an undergraduate senior pursing his bachelor’s in information science.
Undergraduate Student, B.S. in Cyber Security
Matthew Alexander
Matthew Alexander is an undergraduate senior that is currently studying cybersecurity with a minor in emergency preparedness. His experience includes working at a security engineering company this summer as well as research from risk management in other classes that involved hands on coding as well as utilizing the Internet of Things.
Undergraduate Student, B.S. in Informatics
Edward Boulet
Edward Boulet is an undergraduate senior studying Informatics, with a dual concentration in UI/UX and software development, with a minor in computer science. Recently, he has started concentrating on creating VR environments and games for the University at Albany, as well as learning Blender modeling techniques.
Qingyue Guo
Qingyue is a Ph.D. student in Library Science visiting from Wuhan University. Her research interests include user information behavior and human-computer interaction.