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I'm Kartikay Chadha.

President | CEO at Walk With Web Inc.
Doctoral Researcher at McGill University

About Me

My name is Kartikay! I am a Doctoral Candiate in the School of Information Studies at McGill University. I hold a Master of Science degree from the University of Toronto. I develop computational algorithms, tools including websites and databases, to visualize and analyse large volume datasets for meaningful information retrieval. My research aims to understand and improve various mode of interaction of digital historians with archival source documents and data within to extract and disseminate information as knowledge. I am also the President and CEO of a corporation led by academicians in Canada called Walk With Web Inc., that develops, support and preserve digital humanities research projects by creating novel digital sustainability solutions.

In 2019, I started working for Dr. Paul Lovejoy's research group, SHADD: Studies in the History of the African Diaspora - Documents Hub in the Harriet Tubman Research Institute at York University. As part of this employment, I lead a team of graduate and undergraduate students, and staff members. Together we developed eleven high-volume databases and websites, and multiple other research tools for digital humanities data, specifically in the field of African Studies. With an intention to resolve sustainability issues, these projects is now managed by Walk With Web Inc., which is also providing a virtual collaborative space for our technical team that comprises of students, scholars and industry professionals located in Canada, the USA, Costa Rica, India, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Brazil.

I was also connected with the Visual Analytics Lab (VAL) at OCAD University, Toronto for over 6 years. I joined VAL in 2014, as a Mitacs Globalink Intern during an undergraduate placement with Dr. Martha Ladly. I evenutally led Ladly's technical team with my expertise in computer programming, and big data quantitative and qualitative analyses for over 3 years, and was a consultant for on-going development and new research innovations within the VAL. I managed a major, multi-institutional collaborative data visualization research project for the VAL, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, entitled Creating a Visual Language of Marks.

I have also worked as a freelancer providing services to personally referred clients in Toronto. I am a full stack web developer with years long experience in developing databases and websites in HTML, CSS and JS programming languages or by using content development tools like WordPress, Wix etc.

This webpage was last updated on: 23-Feb-2024

Contact Details

Kartikay Chadha
School of Information Studies
McGill University
3661 Peel St
Montreal, Quebec H3A 1X1

+1-(437) 500-3311 Ext. 100
E: kartikay@walkwithweb.org
E: kartikay.chadha@mail.mcgill.ca OR kartikay.chadha@mcgill.ca

Education

Technology, Information and Lives


McGill University • Doctor of Philosophy • September 2020 - Current

In Fall 2020, I started my doctoral studies in the School of Information Studies at McGill University. During this program, I intend to carry forward my research on modes of interaction for African historians with historical data, to enhance meaningful information retrieval, using data visualization technologies. My research will employ design thinking principles including user-sensitive inclusive design and iterative learning methodologies. Using qualitative research methods my doctoral work examines the ethical and moral perspectives of African scholars towards visualization of information on digital research websites. I am specifically interested in GIS maps and 3D visual illustrations. The results from this research study will help build a manual for digital humanities scholars to guide the future development of computational tools for big data visualisations and share discoveries with other researchers and/or the public at large.

University of Life


University of Toronto • Masters of Science • September 2015 - September 2018

In 2018, I graduated from research based Master of Science program offered by the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto. My specialization is in Alzheimer's disease (AD), human statistical genetics and bioinformatics. In addition to producing a dissertation, I developed my research skills by participating in various seminars, workshops and courses like Applied Bioinformatics and Modern Statistical Genetics. During this time, I presented at international/domestic conferences and meetings, and successfully completed a Student Exchange Program between the University of Toronto and Lancaster University in the UK.

School of Cells and Computers


VIT University • Bachelor of Technology • June 2011 - May 2015

I graduated with a Bachelor of Technology degree, specialization in Bioinformatics in May 2015 from the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) University, India. This interdisciplinary field allowed me to explore various applications of computer science in the field of biotechnology. I took multiple courses where I learned how to apply applications of computer science to extract meaningful information from large volume genomic datasets, and how to store and organize it using efficient computational structures. During this program I also contributed to multiple research projects.

Experience

Sharing Knowledge with Innovative Minds


Sessional Lecturer • School of Information Studies • January 2023 - December 2023

I have formally taught the course, INFS 634 - Web System Design and Management (3 credits) to students enrolled in the Masters of Information Studies offered by the School of Information Studies at McGill University. I have taught a class of 23 students in the Winter of 2023 and 22 students in the Fall of 2023.
Course Overview:
Principles and practices of designing websites in the context of libraries and information centers, focusing on a conceptual approach to organizing information for the World Wide Web including design, implementation, and management issues. Topics include web development tools, markup languages, internet security, and web server administration.


Fusion of Artists and Scientists


Researcher & Project Manager • OCAD University • August 2018 - September 2020

I was employed in capacity of a Researcher and Project Manager in the Visual Analytics Laboratory at OCAD University. I managed a major, multi-institutional collaborative data visualization research project, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, entitled Creating a Visual Language of Marks. I was the lead developer on this team working with students and Principle Investigators Dr. Martha Ladly and Dr. Katrina Keefer (Trent University) to develop a searchable visual database. This research project aims to explore applications of computer technology incorporating machine learning and data visualization methodologies to extract meaningful information from the entries in the 19th century Registers of Liberated Africans, revealing individual identities and origins.
I am now continuing my collaboration with this research group in association with Walk With Web Inc. Click here to view project website.


Research Assistant • OCAD University • November 2016 - August 2018

I have worked as Research Assistant to Dr. Martha Ladly in the Visual Analytics Lab during at OCAD University. My roles on team were of a Data Analyst and Computer Programmer. I continued my work from my MITACS internship on the "Elders and Memory" project during this time and also assisted on an another project called the "CBC Newsworld Holodeck". The "CBC Newsworld Holodeck" is a data visualization research project aiming to develop an interface for visualization and sonification of CBC newscast videos using natural language processing technologies, and covering a very large data corpus of the last 24 years of CBC Newsworld output.
Click here to view details on Elders and Memory project.
Click here to view details on CBC Newsworld Holodeck project.


Mitacs Intern • OCAD University (Mitacs Inc) • June 2014 - August 2014

During the 3rd year of my undergraduate program at VIT University, I was selected for the MITACS Globalink Research Internship Program at OCAD University in Toronto, working with Dr. Martha Ladly to develop mobile applications for the "Elders and Memory" project. This research was designed for patients who have a diagnosis of Early Stage Dementia (ESD). We undertook our testing with these patients at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, part of the University Health Network (UNH) in Toronto. Using HTML5, PHP and supported by a MySQL database, I developed a multi-platform, version-controlled web application for patients with ESD, their caregivers and family members. I assisted in data collection and analysis for our preliminary mixed-methods user-testing study at OCAD University.
Click here to view project website.


Decoding History with Techonology


Technical Team Lead • York University • April 2019 - July 2020

I led a team of graduate and undergraduate students, and staff members for Dr. Paul Lovejoy's research group in The Harriet Tubman Institute at York University. As part of this employment, I led the development of six different research projects under the SHADD: Studies in the History of the African Diaspora - Documents Hub. SHADD holds a major academic network of domestic and international collaborators in the field of African Digital Humanities. I am now continuing my collaboration with this research group in association with Walk With Web Inc.
Click here to view SHADD Website.


Home of Cool Psychiatrists


Research Analyst • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health • January 2019 - July 2019

After my graduation from the University of Toronto, I worked as a Research Analyst at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), in Dr. Etienne Sibille's research lab. I was hired as a web and database developer to create dynamic visualisation tools for high volume genetic data. This gene expression data was share by our collaborators at the University of Pittsburgh. During this time I create two visual interphases using RShiny and traditional HTML5 web programming.
Click here to view Sibille Lab Website


Graduate Student • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health • September 2015 - September 2018

During my Master program at the University of Toronto, my research was funded and based at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). During this time, I was working on my research thesis for my masters program under co-supervision of Dr. Jo Knight (Lancaster University, UK) and Dr. Andrew Patterson (The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto). My research project aimed to develop computational algorithms to statistically identify short DNA words that differ in frequency between known regions around trait-associated loci and matched controls. I worked with large volume dataset from the Genome-Wide Association Studies and Gene-Tissue interaction (GTex) project to create new ways of information retrieval that may provide insight into complex diseases and traits.
Click here to know more about my Master's research project.


Practicum Student • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health • December 2014 - May 2015

During the final term of my undergraduate program at VIT University, I worked as a Research Practicum Student with Dr. Jo Knight at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Canada. During this time, I developed an open source online web tool to perform (1) massive number extractions of DNA sequences from the human genome (February 2009, GRCh37/hg19 assembly from the UCSC Genome Browser), and (2) pattern or motif searching through the input set of sequences. The two programs ran independently under the name of the "Find My SEQ" web interface, which is now publicly discontinued but is internally available on the Scientific Cluster Computing (SCC) within CAMH.
Full Report is available on Request.


Genes and Numbers


Exchange Student • Data Science Institute, Lancaster University • September 2016 - January 2017

I successfully completed a four-month international student exchange program between the University of Toronto and the Lancaster University (U.K.). During this exchange program, I audited a Human-Computer interaction course and worked on a branch of my Master's research project. As an outcome of this research engagement, I wrote an extensive literature review entitled "A Review of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's Disease and approaches to identify risk associated factors." This report was part of the introduction to my master's research thesis.
Click here to view LU's project page.


Fighting Cancer


Summer Intern • Lab P53, VIT University • March 2014 - April 2014

One month research orientation internship at "LAB P53 - Cancer Genomics Research Centre - VIT TBI." During this time, I assisted the lab members with ongoing research projects and day-to-day activities including data curating of Oncogenes.


Research

Current Affiliations

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Past Affiliations

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    Research Projects

  Published Articles

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Chadha K., (2024). Regenerated Identities: A Collaborative Web-Based Content Management System For Digital Humanities. International Journal of Computer Applications. Volume 186, Number 29, 28-33. View Article

Lovejoy P., Lovejoy H., Melek Delgado E. & Chadha K.. Regenerated Identities - Documenting African LivesTrenton, NJ: Harriet Tubman Series on the African Diaspora, Africa World Press (Under Contract) (2022).
-- Introduction: Documenting African Lives. (Lovejoy H., Chadha K., Lovejoy P., & Melek Delgado E)
-- Chapter 6: Freedom Narratives of Africans from the Era of Slavery. (Lovejoy P., Melek Delgado E. & Chadha K.)
-- Chapter 7: Decoding Origins: Creating a Visual Database from the Registers of Liberated Slaves. (Chadha K., Keefer, K. & Ladly M.)
-- Chapter 8: Equiano World: Databasing the Life and Times of Gustavus Vassa. (Lovejoy P. & Chadha K.)
-- Appendix: Walk With Web Inc: Technical Description of Digital Humanities. (Chadha K.)
View Article

Lovejoy P., Chadha K., (2021). K.,Equiano's World: Chronicling the Life and Times of Gustavus Vassa. Esclavages & Post-esclavages. Slaveries & Post-Slaveries, issue 4 - Digital Humanities (2021). View Article

Ladly M., Chadha K., (2020). Postcard Memories: A virtual mobile memory sharing application for adults with Early Stage Dementia (ESD). Journal of Virtual Creativity (VCR) 10.1 Issue (April 2020). View Article

Ladly, M., Bakker, T., Chadha, K., Farrelly, G., Micak, K., Penn, G., Rudzicz, F.; Reality Recalled: Elders, Memory and VR; IEEE VSMM 2017, 23rd International Conference on Virtual Systems and Multimedia, Dublin (Ireland): 31 October - 2 November 2017. View Article

Wright, L., Ludlow, B.A., Jofre, A., Chen, C., Ladly, M., Rudzicz, F., Chadha, K.; Postcard Memories: Analysis of preliminary usability studies of a mobile postcard application geared towards older adults with Early Stage Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type; The Qualitatives 2015: The 32nd Annual Qualitative Analysis Conference, Brescia College, Western University, London (Ontario, Canada): June 24-26, 2015. View Article

Zai, G., Alberry, B., Arloth, J., Bánlaki, Z., Bares, C., Boot, E., Camilo, C., Chadha, K., Chen, Q., Cole, C.B. and Cost, K.T., 2016. Rapporteur summaries of plenary, symposia, and oral sessions from the XXIIIrd World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics Meeting in Toronto, Canada, 16-20 October 2015. Psychiatric Genetics.
 View Article

Rajkumar R., Chadha K.; Continuing Medical Education for the Rural Public Health Centers; International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications (IJSRP), Volume 3, Issue 6, June 2013 Edition.
 View Article

  Contribution Acknowledgments

Keefer, Katrina, et al. "Bunce Island: Through the Mirror – Epic Games’ MetaHumans and the trans-Atlantic slave trade", Atlantic Studies, 1-25. 2023. View Article

Melek Delgado, Érika. "Freedom Narratives: The West African Person as the Central Focus for a Digital Humanities Database", History in Africa 48: 35-59, 2022 View Article

Ladly, Martha, et al. "Postcard Memories: an interactive tablet application for elders with early-stage dementia." Proceedings of the 21st International Symposium on Electronic Art. 2015. View Article

 Selected Meetings & Workshops

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Instructor, "Digital Skills Workshop", Frontiers of Belonging (International Research Training Group), SSHRC PDG, Faculty of Arts, University of Ottawa 6-7 June 2024. View Details

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Invited Speaker/Participant, "Looking Forward: Building the Field of Slavery in Canada", Epa Symposium on Slavery in Canada, York University, 15 May 2024.

Invited Guest Speaker, "Research to Impact: Web-based tools for Research Collaboration and Mobilization", Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), York University, 13 April 2022.

Invited Guest Speaker, "Developing Digital Humanities - Technical View", Trent University - ENGL/HIST 2020H: Digital Humanities - New Tools, Human Stories - Dr. Katrina Keefer (2021-2022)

Invited Guest Speaker, "Developing Digital Humanities Tools.", Digital Humanities on Slavery, Virtual Workshop, Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS), University of Bonn, 29 June 2021.

Invited Guest Speaker, "Bioinformatics & Beyond", School of Information Studies, McGill University - GLIS 673 - Bioinformatics Resources - Prof. Joan Bartlett (30 March 2021)

Invited Guest Speaker (Workshop Instructor), "User Sensitive Inclusive Design for African Digital Humanities", York University - AP/HIST3780 A - Themes in African History Course - Dr. Paul E Lovejoy (2020-2021)

Workshop Instructor, "Workshop: Introduction to MySQL", Visual Analytics Laboratory, OCAD University, 25 February 2019.

Workshop Instructor, "Web development Skills for Digital Humanities", SSHRC Research: Creating a Visual Language of Marks, Visual Analytics Laboratory, OCAD University, 23 October 2018.

Guest Speaker, "Investigating the Frequency of DNA Words near Loci Associated with Human Complex Traits", Department of Neurogenetics, Centre for Addition and Mental Health, Toronto, 8 June 2018.

Guest Speaker, "A Review of genetic landscape of Alzheimer’s disease and approaches to identify risk factors associated", The Centre for Health Informatics, Computing and Statistics (CHICS) forum, Lancaster University (UK), 14 December 2016.

Oral Presentations

Long Term Sustaining Digital Projects: Challenges and Solutions; 66th Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association (ASA) - African Presences: Envisioning African in Text and Deed, San Francisco: November 30- December 2, 2023.(Roundtable Panel)

Excel to Database: Afro-Louisiana History and Genealogy Website ; The Annual Conference of the Canadian Association of African Studies (CAAS), Congress of Social Sciences & Humanities. May 27- June 2, 2023. (Roundtable Panel)

Information & African Digital Humanities Scholars: Understanding the interaction with past to develop future; The Information Behaviour Conference, Berlin School of Library and Information Science (IBI), Berlin (Germany). September 26-29, 2022. (Doctoral Workshop)

Digital Technologies in African Studies: Moving a step forward learning from the past; The Annual Conference of the Canadian Association of African Studies (CAAS), Virtual Conference. May 16-19, 2022. (Roundtable Panel)

Harnessing Data to Understand Identity in Global Africa (Information Interaction: African Studies & Technology) ; Transatlantic Memories, Blackness, and African Diasporic Identity: Now and in the Future, York University, Toronto (Ontario, Canada), 11-12 May 2022. (Roundtable Panel - Invited)

Frontiers of Digital History in Africa: Trends, Opportunities, and Futures; 62nd Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association (ASA) being, belonging and becoming in Africa, Boston (Massachusetts, USA), 21-23 November 2019. (Panelist)

Tracing African Trajectories: Liberated Africans and Diasporic Biographies; The Annual Conference of the Canadian Association of African Studies (CAAS), University of Quebec in Montreal, Québec, Canada. May 16-19, 2019. (Panelist)

The Language of Marks: A Web-portal for Trans-Atlantic slave trade data collection, visualization and transcription; Enslaved: Peoples of the Historic Slave Trade Conference, Michigan State University, East Lansing (Michigan, USA): March 8-9, 2019. (Speaker) View Details

Elders, Memory & Data Visualization – Changing Aging Cues with News Media; BRAIN ALLIANCE Annual General Meeting, York University, Toronto, Canada. March 01, 2019. (Speaker)

Decoding Origins: Creating A Visual Language of Marks; SSHRC funded Research project; Freedom Narratives Symposium, York University, Toronto: December 07-08, 2018. (Speaker)

Reality Recalled: Elders, Memory and VR; BRAIN Alliance Annual General Meeting 2018, York University, Toronto, 25 February 2018. (Speaker)

Elders, Memory & Data Visualisation: Changing Aging Cues with News Media ; BRAIN Alliance Annual General Meeting 2017, York University, Toronto (Ontario, Canada), 17 February 2017. (Invited talk)

Energies: Power, Creativity and Afro-Futures, 61st Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association (ASA), Atlanta (Georgia, USA), 29 November 2016. (Panelist)

Poster Presentations

Ladly M., Rudzicz F., Chadha K.; Postcard Memories: A High-Fidelity prototype for Early Stage Dementia; BRAIN ALLIANCE Annual General Meeting, York University, Toronto, Canada: March 01, 2019.

Ladly M., Keefer K., Chadha K.; Decoding Origins: Creating a Visual Language of Marks; BRAIN ALLIANCE Annual General Meeting, York University, Toronto, Canada: March 01, 2019

Ladly L., Chadha K., Farrelly, G.; Reality Recalled: Elders, Memory and VR. BRAIN Alliance Annual General Meeting, York University, Toronto (Ontario, Canada). 25 February 2018

Chadha, K., Knight, J., Paterson, A.D.; A Novel Method to identify Significant DNA motifs in the human genome associated with Alzheimer’s disease; European conference on computational Biology, The Hague, The Netherlands: September 03-07, 2016 & The Data Science Institute’s Exchange Day, Lancaster University, UK: 21 September 2016

Chadha, K., Knight, J., Paterson A.; Identification of DNA motifs associated with Alzheimer

Chadha, K., Gagliano, S., Rotenberg, D., Pipitone, J., Knight, J.; Prioritization of risk and non-risk variants for Alzheimer’s disease from Genome Wide Association Studies – Find My SEQ; XXIIIrd World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics, Toronto, Canada: October 16-20, 2015

    Exhibitions

The Postcard Memories Project. Digital Futures Open Show, OCAD University, Toronto (Ontario, Canada), February 01-04, 2018. (Invited Demonstration)

The CBC Newsworld Project. Digital Futures Open House, OCAD University, Toronto (Ontario, Canada), 19 October 2017. (Invited Installation)

The CBC Newsworld Project, Nuit Blanche, Toronto (Ontario, Canada), October 03, 2015. (Invited Installation)

    Dissertations

Chadha, Kartikay. Investigating the Frequency of DNA Words near Loci Associated with Human Complex Traits. University of Toronto (Canada). Master of Science Diss. 2018.
Supervisors: Dr Jo Knight & Dr Andrew Patterson
View Online

Chadha, Kartikay. A Review of Genetic Landscape of Alzheimer's disease and approaches to identify risk factors associated. Lancaster University (United Kingdom). Graduate Exchange Program. Diss. 2016. (Internal Only)
Supervisors: Dr Jo Knight & Dr Andrew Patterson
Available on Request

Chadha, Kartikay. Prediction Study of Deleterious and Non-Deleterious Mutations using the Genome Wide Association Studies Catalogue. VIT University (India) & Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (Canada). Undergraduate placement Diss. 2015. (Internal Only)
Supervisors: Dr Jo Knight & Dr Anand A
Available on Request

  Grants Awarded

Partner: Frontiers of Belonging: Refuge Seeking and Hospitality in West and Central Africa, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT GRANT (PI: Prof. Meredith Terretta, University of Ottawa), valued at CAD$330,517 (2023-2026)

Partner & Co-Organizer: Défis de la mise en œuvre des DDR dans les pays du bassin du lac Tchad, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), CONNECTIONS GRANT (PI: Prof. Melchisedek Chétima, UQAM), valued at CAD$39,428 (2023-2024)

Partner: Harnessing data to understand identity in Global Africa (Stage 1), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), PARTNERSHIP GRANT - STAGE 1 (PI: Prof. Paul Lovejoy, York University), valued at CAD$20,000 (2022-2023)

Collaborator: Bunce Island: through the Mirror, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), CONNECTIONS GRANT (PI: Prof. Katrina Keefer, Trent University), valued at CAD$70,329 (2022-2024)

Partner: Historical African Childhoods: A Digital Database on the Life Narratives of Enslaved African Children, King’s Together, COVID MITIGATION GRANT, (PI: Dr. Érika Melek Delgado, King's College London), valued at GBP20,000 (2022-2023)

Collaborator: Violence in Iron and Silver: Data Visualisation and the Reconstruction of Identities through Slave Brands, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), INSIGHT GRANT (PI: Dr. Keefer, Trent University), valued at CAD$399,797 (2021-2026)

Partner: Canada's Visa Issuance to Africa-Based Researchers: In Sync with Francophonie and Internationalization in Higher Education?, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), INSIGHT DEVELOPMENT GRANT (PI: Prof. Meredith Terretta, University of Ottawa), valued at CAD$48,949 (2020-2022)

Co-Organizer: 2021 Conference on Islamic Protest, Terrorism and Security in Africa, Maroua University, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), CONNECTIONS GRANT (PI: Prof. Paul Lovejoy, York University), valued at CAD$48,949 (2020-2021)

Collaborator & Partner: Preserving Records of Social and Political Life in Nineteenth-Century Sierra Leone, British Library, ENDANGERED ARCHIVES PROGRAM GRANT, (PI: Prof. Suzanne Schwarz, University of Worcester ; Prof. Paul Lovejoy, York University; Dr. Érika Melek Delgado, King's College London; Mr. Albert Moore, Senior Government Archivist, Sierra Leone), valued at GBP20,000 (2020-2022)

Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP): Freedom Narratives of the slave trade, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), INSIGHT GRANT (PI: Prof. Paul Lovejoy, York University), valued at CAD$382,101 (2019-2023)

Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP): Documenting Africans in Trans-Atlantic Slavery, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ), French National Centre for Scientific Research & UK Research & Innovation: TRANS-ATLANTIC PLATFORM GRANT (PI: Prof. Paul Lovejoy, York University; Prof. Jean-Pierre Le Glaunec, Université Sherbrooke; Prof. Myriam Cottias, CNRS - Paris; Prof. Sean Kelly, University of Essex), valued at CAD$489,108 (2019-2023)

Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP): Elders, Memory & Data Visualization, BRAIN Alliance Research Grant (PI: Prof. Martha Ladly, OCAD University), valued at CAD$25,000 (2018-2019)

Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP): Creating a visual language of marks: approaching African identities through data visualization, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), INSIGHT GRANT (PI: Prof. Martha Ladly, OCAD University), valued at CAD$84,695 (2018-2021)

Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP): Decoding Origins: Using body marks to discover African identities during the slave trade, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), INSIGHT DEVELOPMENT GRANT (PI: Dr. Katrina Keefer, Trent University), valued at CAD$72,505 (2018-2020)

  Awards

Canada Graduate Scholarships—Doctoral Program (CGS D). Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, valued at CAD$105,000 (2021-2024)

Grad Excellence Award in Information Studies, School of Information Studies, McGill University, valued at CAD$5,000 (2020-2021)

School of Information Studies, McGill University, Doctoral award for PhD Students by SIS, valued at CAD$20,000 per year (2020-2023)

62nd Annual Meeting of the ASA (African Studies Association), being, belonging and becoming in Africa (Boston, USA) - BRAIN Alliance Travel Award, valued at CAD$1000 (2019)

61st Annual Meeting of the ASA (African Studies Association), Energies: Power, Creativity and Afro-Futures, Atlanta (Georgia, USA) - BRAIN Alliance Travel Award, valued at CAD$1000 (2018)

University of Toronto, Institute of Medical Science International Fee Subsidy Award, valued at CAD$6,000 (2016-2017)

University of Toronto, Institute of Medical Science Open Fellowship Award, valued at CAD$5,000 (2016-2017)

European Conference on Computational Biology (ECCB2016), The Hague (Netherlands), Travel Award, valued at EUR 750 (2016)

World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics (WCPG), Toronto (Canada), Early Career Investigator Award, valued at CAD$ 500 (2015)

Mitacs Globalink Graduate Fellowship, First year of MSc. program at University of Toronto, valued at CAD$10,000 (2015-2016)

University of Toronto, International Fee Deferral Award, valued at CAD$ 6,000- (2015-2016)

Merit holder award, VIT University - Vellore, India, valued at IN₹ 10,000 (2012-2013)

Merit holder award, VIT University - Vellore, India, valued at IN₹ 14,000 (2011-2012)

    Featured News

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Digitizing African studies: The technical and ethical considerations

The Tribune · McGill University · April 19, 2024
Computers have become essential to how we work and live. Digital humanities, a new and expanding field, takes on the challenge of rethinking the traditionally paper-based operation of storing, processing, and accessing research materials.
Kartikay Chadha, a McGill doctoral student in Information Studies and CEO of Walk With Web Inc., sat down with The Tribune to discuss the challenges and successes with helping researchers of African history digitize their databases. ... Read More


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Historian Hones website focused on African slaves who were ‘liberated’ but not freed

Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine (University of Colorado - Boulder) · May 25, 2023
First established in 2015, Lovejoy says the website is getting a major upgrade, thanks to grant funding and a partnership with Walk With Web Inc., under the CEO direction of Kartikay Chadha, who is a doctoral candidate at McGill University. This Canadian company provides technical support to institutions associated with social sciences and humanities research, development and preservation...... Read More


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Walk With Web and Collaborators Expand Partnerships with Sierra Leone Public Archives

Gleaner Newspaper Sierra Leone · March 01, 2023
In Sierra Leone, Walk With Web Inc. (WWW) and its partners have strengthened their ties with Central University in Freetown and the Sierra Leone Public Archives (SLPA) by expanding their partnerships recently. This development creates new opportunities for internships and training for faculty members and students, in addition to improving the ongoing work of digitizing historical manuscripts. ... Read More


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Historian to bring more digital expertise to the digital humanities

CU Boulder NEWS · Apr 23, 2021
Research can sometimes take scholars in unexpected directions, making certain lines of inquiry difficult to pursue—but not impossible, at least with more training. A prestigious fellowship recently awarded to a University of Colorado Boulder professor, though, allows for just that.... Read More


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Bringing History to Life – Virtually

TRENT U NEWS · Apr 12, 2021
Trent’s Dr. Katrina Keefer is creating an interactive, digital historical experience that will transform knowledge mobilization. Cultural historian Dr. Katrina Keefer has never shied away from a challenge – her latest being recreating historical events using sophisticated digital technologies...... Read More


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Decoding Origins: Creating a Visual Language of Marks featured in Media

OCAD U NEWS · Apr 08, 2019 · 2:46 PM EDT
The research project Decoding Origins: Creating a Visual Language of Marks, led by Dr. Martha Ladly of OCAD U and Dr. Katrina Keefer of Trent University, was recently featured in an article by CBC...... Read More


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Mapping Markings: Using Tattoos & Scarification to Determine Origins

TRENT U NEWS · Mar 06, 2019
Professor Katrina Keefer’s research leads her and graduate students at #TrentU to Africa. When slave traders stole Africans from their homeland, they didn’t just strip them of freedom. Enslaved people lost their identity too. It’s a wound that lingers. “Africans were taken from multiple origins and developed a new identity in the Americas through their exploitation,” says Dr. Katrina Keefer, adjunct professor in Trent’s department...... Read More


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Archivists race to digitize slavery records before the history is lost

The World · Apr 04, 2019 · 5:45 PM EDT
Abu Koroma is the archivist in training at the National Archives of Sierra Leone — and he’ll remain the archivist in training until one of the two senior archivists retire. “That is how it is done,” he laughed...... Read More


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Traditional African scars are helping researches tell the stories of the slave trade

CBC News · Feb 11, 2019 · 1:29 PM ET
Relying on careful analysis of traditional scarification, researchers from two Ontario universities are trying to rediscover the individual lives and stories of thousands of African people whose history had been erased by the transatlantic slave trade.... Read More


    Supervision & Mentorship

Ethan Provost

Master of Science - Computational Science, CU Boulder
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2024-01-01 - 2024-04-30

Tessa Ziegler

Master of Science - Computational Science, CU Boulder
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2024-01-01 - 2024-04-30

Ray Berry

B.A. Hons., History and Ancient Greek and Roman Studies, Trent University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2024-01-01 - Current

Shanna Welch

Master of Science - Computational Science, CU Boulder
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2023-10-01 - 2024-04-30

Hayden Wice

Master of Arts - History, Trent University
Supervisor - Walk With Web

Transitioned to:
Access & Privacy Specialist, Ontario NorthLand

2023-09-01 - 2024-08-31

Xiaoman Xiang

MITACS Globalink Internship Program, (Prof. Paul Lovejoy) Placed at WWW
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2023-06-01 - 2023-09-01

Olha Danyliuk

Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Educational and Scientific Institute of Journalism
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2023-06-01 - 2023-08-01

Aadil Baig

Bachelor of Science - Computer Science, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2023-05-01 - Current

Abrar Jawad Tarafder

Bachelor of Science - Computer Science, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web

Transitioned to:
Co-op Intern, Hydro One

2023-05-01 - 2024-04-30

Randy Hyunh

Bachelor of Science - Computer Science, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2023-05-01 - 2023-08-01

Dvir Malka

Bachelor of Science - Computer Science, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web

Transitioned to:
Product Intern, Ascend Fundraising Solutions

2023-05-01 - 2024-05-30

Leighana Estrella

Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Communication Design - MITACS Globalink Internship Program, (Prof. Paul Lovejoy) Currently placed at WWW
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2023-05-01 - 2024-04-30

Egan Henderson

Bachelor of Arts - History, Trent University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2023-04-01 - 2023-05-01

Shruti Kapoor

Professional Designer
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2023-02-01 - Current

Issac Lee

Bachelor of Arts - Computer Science, Trent University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2022-11-01 - 2023-01-01

Negar Shavandi

Bachelor of Arts - History, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2022-10-01 - 2023-04-01

Jingya Su

Bachelor of Arts - History, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2022-09-01 - 2023-04-01

Sohban Elahi Malik

Bachelor of Science - Computer Science, Trent University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2022-09-01 - 2023-04-01

Mahesh Vasametti

Mitacs Globalink Intern, SRM University, Andhra Pradesh, India (with Prof. Paul Lovejoy, York University)
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2022-06-01 - 2022-09-01

Sushma Akoju

Master of Science - Computational Science, CU Boulder
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2022-05-01 - 2022-07-01

Swapnil Rajput

Mitacs Globalink Intern, Dayalbagh Educational Institute, India (with Prof. Paul Lovejoy, York University)
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2022-05-01 - 2022-08-01

Hussain Saifee

Bachelor of Science - Computer Science, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2022-05-01 - 2022-08-01

Nadia Mehdizadeh Jafari

Bachelor of Arts - History, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2022-05-01 - 2022-12-01

Vedanshi Patel

York University/University of Waterloo (Co0op Student)
Supervisor - Walk With Web

Transitioned to:
Web Developer, Greenhawk Equestrian Sport

2022-02-01 - 2022-05-01

Joseph Burton

Masters of Arts - History, Trent University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-12-01 - 2022-12-01

Golgisoo Jafari

Bachelor of Arts - History, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-10-01 - 2022-08-01

Nina Borba

Masters of Arts - History, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-09-01 - 2021-12-01

Corby Berry

Bachelor of Arts - History, Trent University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-09-01 - 2021-12-01

Charles Cumberland

Bachelor of Arts - History, Trent University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-09-01 - 2021-12-01

Devina Aggarwal

Master of Science (Electronics and Electrical), York University
Currently placed at CI Financials
Supervisor - Walk With Web

Transitioned to:
Electronics Engineer, CI Financials

2021-06-01 - 2021-08-01

Stephenie Akuakua

Bachelor of Science, Trent University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-06-01 - 2021-08-01

Aryan Rashid

Bachelors Program, Mechanical Engineering, York University (The Harriet Tubman Institute), Walk With Web Inc.
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-05-01 - 2021-08-31

Rachel Taunton

Masters of Arts - History, Trent University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-05-01 - 2023-08-01

Bilal Mian

Bachelor of Science - Computer Science, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-05-01 - 2021-08-01

Joanne Rego

Bachelor of Science - Computer Science, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-05-01 - 2021-12-01

Aryan Rashid

Bachelor of Science - Civil Engineering, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-05-01 - 2021-08-01

Charles Cumberland

Masters of Arts - History, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-05-01 - 2021-12-01

Zachary Raimundo

Bachelor of Arts - History, Trent University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-05-01 - 2022-08-01

Elias Idowu Durosinmi

Profession Developer (Freelancer, Siera Leone)
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-04-01 - 2021-05-01

Saloni Pande

Professional Developer
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-03-01 - 2022-08-01

Simranjeet Singh

Bachelors (Honours), Computer Science, York University (The Harriet Tubman Institute), Walk With Web Inc.
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-01-01 - 2021-08-31
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Isha Kantak

Bachelors (Honours), Computer Science, York University (The Harriet Tubman Institute), Walk With Web Inc.
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-01-01 - 2021-04-28
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Simranjeet Singh

Bachelor of Science - Computer Science, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-01-01 - 2021-08-01

Isha Kantak

Bachelor of Science - Computer Science, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2021-01-01 - 2021-04-01

Michael McGill

Master of Arts - History, Trent University
Supervisor - Walk With Web

Transitioned to:
Historical Researcher, Known History Inc.

2020-11-01 - 2021-03-01

Fernanda Sierra

Master of Arts - History, York University
Supervisor - Walk With Web

Transitioned to:
Program Manager, Cultural Days

2020-11-01 - 2021-03-01

Thamires de Andrade Porto

Mitacs Gloablink Intern (Brazil - with Prof. Paul Lovejoy, York University)
Formally employed by WWW
Supervisor - Walk With Web
2020-07-01 - 2022-06-01

Abdulhkem Klif (Hakim)

Bachelors (Honours), Computer Science, York University (The Harriet Tubman Institute)
Academic Co-Supervision
2019-12-01 - 2020-12-31

Fahad Qayyum

Bachelors (Honours), Computer Science, York University (The Harriet Tubman Institute), Walk With Web Inc.
Academic Co-Supervision; Supervisor - Walk With Web

Transitioned to:
Software Engineer, Royal Bank of Canada

2019-08-01 - 2021-02-28

Maria Yala

MDes Digital Futures, OCAD University (Visual Analytics Lab), Walk With Web Inc.
Academic Co-Supervision; Supervisor - Walk With Web
2018-08-01 - Current
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Georgina Yeboah

MDes Digital Futures, OCAD University (Visual Analytics Lab)
Academic Co-Supervision
2018-06-01 - 2019-03-01

International Interns
Jianze Wang, Suyue Lyu, Yutong Hou, Richard Michael, Wei Yan

Mitacs Globalink Interns, University of Toronto
Mitacs Mentor
2018-05-01 - 2019-08-01

Ma Qianyi

Mitacs Globalink Intern (Shanghai International Studies University, China); Visual Analytics Laboratory, OCAD University
Academic Co-Supervision
2018-05-01 - 2019-08-01

International Interns
Yao Yao, Isabelle Viole, Fangfang Lu, Hailing Deng, Enze Zhang, Xinyi Li,Vincent Stimper

Mitacs Globalink Interns, University of Toronto
Mitacs Mentor
2017-05-01 - 2017-08-01

Lukas Dylan Cull Zenisek

Mitacs Globalink Intern (Shanghai International Studies University, China); Visual Analytics Laboratory, OCAD University
Academic Co-Supervision
2017-05-01 - 2017-08-01

International Interns
Sindhu Chatralinganadoddi Mariyappa Gowda, Akshay Kamath, Vaishnavi Bengaluru Mohan, Chen Ying

Mitacs Globalink Interns, University of Toronto
Mitacs Mentor
2016-05-01 - 2016-08-01

Undergraduate Team
Ryan Fan, Jen Seo, Daniel Ortizcosta, Weichuan Sun

CSC490 course code - Group Confidant (Undergraduate Level), Department of Computer Science Innovation Lab, University of Toronto
Academic Consultant
2016-05-01 - 2016-08-01

Testimonials

Paul Lovejoy, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, VIT University

Kartikay is leading cutting-edge development of data management strategies and computational analysis, which brings together his diverse experience and contributions to digital innovations such as in the preservation of the Sierra Leone Public Archives, organization of conferences in Canada, the UK, and Cameroon, publications and presentations of research results, training multiple undergraduate and graduate students at York and elsewhere, teaching M.ISt. students at McGill, to overseeing and independently leading the team of students and professionals at Walk With Web Inc. I have never known a Ph.D. candidate to publish as much as Kartikay has at this stage of their career, reflecting on his extraordinary dedication and hard work.

Suzanne Schwarz, Professor, University of Worcester

Kartikay Chadha is an outstanding innovative researcher whose leadership in digital humanities has already achieved a global impact far exceeding expectations for the stage of their career. I have been extremely impressed by how Kartikay can cross disciplinary boundaries with fluency and ease. He has demonstrated considerable sophistication in using digital techniques to communicate recent research findings in African history and the history of slavery into accessible and ground-breaking forms for academic and non-academic audiences. This is particularly evident in the use of mapping and other spatial forms of expression on Liberatedafricans.org, a website he published in partnership with Henry Lovejoy. This is an excellent teaching resource, which I use extensively with my undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Martha Ladly, Professor, OCAD University

Kartikay Chadha joined my research group as a research assistant specialising in health and wellness related data analysis, as a MITACS summer student. He quickly immersed himself in my research group and our research problem, developing a set of analytics related to our qualitiative and quantitative interview processes with Alzheimer's patients in the development of a mobile interactive application to support people living with memory loss. Kartikay assisted us in our research study with test participants and later, in our study with target audience participants who were Alzheimer's patients from Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and their caregivers. Kartikay has an empathetic attitude towards research with human participants, and a real facility with "humanising" the outcoming data analysis. He always displays a cheerful "can do" attitude and is also very supportive in working with designers and artists who are learning about data visualisation and analytics.

Katrina Keefer, Adjunct Professor, Trent University

Kartikay Chadha is a research associate on a major collaborative project in the digital humanities with me. He is a remarkable scholar, combining hard work and discipline with extraordinary talent and creativity. In the relatively short time which we have worked, he has been a close collaborator, responding rapidly to suggestions and advocating for improvements which will streamline and better our work. Working with Kartikay is a delight, and any future employers will be fortunate to have him.

Jo Knight, Professor, Lancaster University

I met Kartikay in the summer of 2014 when he contacted me to express interest in pursuing an undergraduate placement with me. I was very impressed with him, he was able to articulate his research extremely well and he was exceptionally personable. Kartikay undertook an undergraduate placement in my group and did his Master's under my supervision. Kartikay is hardworking, creative, reliable and intelligent. I recommend him to potential employers.

Anand Anbarasu, Professor, VIT University

I have been Kartikay's supervisor on his research projects and taken many of his classes as a faculty, during his undergraduate program at VIT University. He is intelligent, dedicated, patient and sincere. It has undoubtedly been a cheerful experience to be his guide as his fresh ideas would always bring a smile on my face. He can well support his innovations with valid assumptions and strong fundamentals. I wish him all the best for his future!

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