Associate Professor Rita Orji, Dalhousie University, Canada.

Prof. Rita Orji is a Canada Research Chair in Persuasive Technology and a Computer Science Professor at Dalhousie University, Canada where she directs the Persuasive Computing Lab. Her research at the intersection of technology and human behavior focuses on designing interactive technologies such as serious games and gamified persuasive systems to empower people, improve lives, and contribute to solving many societal problems. She applies her work to tackle real-life problems in various domains including improving a wide range of health and wellness objectives such as mental health, healthy eating, physical activity, smoking cessation, sexual and other health risk behaviors. She has won millions of dollars from competitive grant funding from agencies and governments around the world to support her work. With over 190 peer-reviewed papers, Prof. Orji has won over 60 prestigious awards and recognitions nationally and internationally in recognition of her work in this area. Recently, she was named among the Top 150 Canadian Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Top 60 African Women in STEM. She has delivered 15 keynotes and over 100 invited talks and other presentations.