Her Story
About Subhasree
Subhasree Sengupta is an Assistant Professor at Florida State University, where she holds a joint appointment with the Learning Systems Institute and the School of Information. An interdisciplinary researcher and educator, her work explores how emerging digital environments—including social media platforms, online communities, and generative AI ecosystems—can create alternative spaces for expression, learning, and professional development. Her research focuses on human-AI collaboration, AI and education, responsible technology design, collaborative learning, workforce development, and AI-mediated communication, with the goal of building resilience, empowerment, and meaningful opportunities for growth through digital engagement.
Sengupta earned her Ph.D. in Information Science from Syracuse University, where her dissertation examined how online communities, particularly discussion forums such as Reddit, provide support, resilience, and community-building opportunities for women in technical fields. Drawing on a foundation in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, she combines computational, qualitative, and design-based research methods to investigate how people cultivate interests, develop professional identities, and form communities in increasingly digital worlds. Her work spans the fields of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), social computing, and informal learning, reflecting her commitment to bridging technical and social perspectives.
Throughout her career, Sengupta has embraced interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together ideas from diverse fields to address complex educational and societal challenges. She is passionate about helping individuals discover what they want to learn, who they aspire to become, and how they can connect with others through technology. Guided by a belief in lifelong learning and the transformative power of mentorship, she entered higher education to pay forward the support she received from her own mentors. Through her research, teaching, and service, she continues to empower learners and professionals to navigate and thrive in an evolving digital landscape.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Subhasree
01What do you attribute your success to?
I never really thought about this variable of success in traditional terms. To me, it was always about being driven by passion. Success could be something very simple as just learning something new. At a certain point in my life, I decided that I would move away from traditional performance metrics like achieving specific goals or reaching certain social standpoints. Instead, I define success as a very intrinsic sort of satisfaction and fulfillment. That keeps me very well sustained, because life is very unpredictable and you'll go through so many different setbacks. If you always go by those external metrics, you'll make your life harder. So ease it up for yourself, and the world around you will also ease up. That kind of mindset is something that's very valuable.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Do something that keeps you awake at night. I remember having a conversation with a mentor who shared this advice with me, and it really lit a certain spark in me. It made me realize that this is the way I should think about what I do. This was something that really resonated with me and helped shape how I approach my work and my passion for research.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The most important thing I tell people is to not get deterred by setbacks. We have these dreams, we have things that we want to do, we have things that we want to add value to. But sometimes when we are starting off, often we are walking on uncharted ground. Sometimes we are taking on things that nobody has done before. So we will face hurdles, we will face setbacks, but the most important thing, and this might sound a little bit cliched, but it is very important, is never give up. If one thing doesn't work, think about innovating. What else can you explore? What else can you maybe augment? Can you write this a different way? How do you really pitch who you are, what you want, effectively to the audience that you want? That is my main advice, no matter what industry you're interested in or wanting to go into. Don't give up.
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