SIS PhD student Robert Ferguson awarded SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship for research on personal information management to improve seniors' independence & quality of life

Congratulations to McGill School of Information Studies PhD student Robert Douglas Ferguson on receiving a prestigious Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowship. 

Robert's research investigates how senior citizens, who wish to live independently and remain in their own homes for as long as possible, can benefit from the results of 20 years of research in Personal Information Management (PIM). 

Project description: Personal information management explores how individuals create, organize, use, and preserve personal collections of information in order to achieve goals and fulfill roles in their everyday lives. Yet, virtually little is known about whether older adults face unique personal information management challenges compared to younger adults. To what extent can the information tools and behaviours explored by PIM researchers be applied to address the needs and realities of senior citizens? How can these tools and strategies be redeployed to support of memory, attention, and management of time and resources in the lives of the elderly? How is privacy and trust effected when older adults seek assistance with PIM from younger adults? Robert's doctoral research aims to answer these questions and identify ways in which information tools and behaviours in the home can be leveraged to maintain a high quality-of-life and level of independence experienced by senior citizens.

Robert's PhD supervisor is Dr. France Bouthillier.

About the award

Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowships are awarded to high-calibre scholars in the social sciences and humanities. For more information on a range of funding opportunities available through the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), visit the SSHRC website.