Umar Ruhi (He/Him)

Vice-Dean (Undergraduate Programs)
- Location
- DMS 5130
- Telephone
- 613-562-5800 x 1990
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- For All Inquiries Related to Undergraduate Programs:
- vice.dean.undergraduate@telfer.uottawa.ca
Biography
Professor Umar Ruhi received his PhD in information systems and management science from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University. Before his PhD, he completed his MBA at McMaster University with dual concentrations in e-business and strategic knowledge management, and he earned his BSc in computer science from the University of Toronto.
At Telfer, Professor Ruhi teaches various undergraduate (BCom) and graduate (MSc, MBA, EMBA) courses in information systems, digital enterprise strategy and cybersecurity management. He also teaches in the University’s interdisciplinary MSc and PhD programs on digital transformation and innovation. Most of his courses involve integrating themes and topics related to business strategy and technology applications.
Professor Ruhi’s research interests lie at the intersection of information systems and knowledge management. His research programs explore contemporary information and communication technologies and their applications in human, organizational and social contexts. His current research interests include consumer health informatics, human–AI collaboration, AI governance and digital misinformation.
Various organizations have applied Professor Ruhi’s research in industry settings. His work has also been recognized through commercial patents and best paper awards at several conferences. His PhD dissertation on online communities won the best dissertation award from the German Society for Online Research in 2012.
Professor Ruhi has been involved in consulting, advisory and analytical roles with initiatives related to online communities, e-government portals, user experience design, web usability engineering, web analytics and knowledge management practices.
In addition to his regular research, Professor Ruhi is actively involved in pedagogical research on learning analytics and generative AI through his Ian Telfer Teaching Fellowship.
Publications during the last 7 years
Papers in Refereed Journals
- Pandya, B., Ruhi, U. and Patterson, L. 2023. Preparing the Future Workforce for 2030: The Role of Higher Education Institutions. Frontiers in Education, 8(2023): 1295249.
- Nault, K. and Ruhi, U. 2023. User Experience with Disinformation Countering Tools: Usability Challenges and Suggestions for Improvement. Frontiers in Computer Science, 5(2023): 1253166.
- Khan, L., Malik, A., Ruhi, U. and Al-Busaidi, A. 2022. Conflicting attitudes: Analyzing social media data to understand the early discourse on COVID-19 passports. Technology in Society, 68(2022): 101830.
- Pandya, B., Patterson, L. and Ruhi, U. 2022. The Readiness of Workforce for the World of Work in 2030: Perceptions of University students. International Journal of Business Performance Management, 23(1-2): 54-75.
- Ruhi, U., Majedi, A. and Chugh, R. 2021. Sociotechnical Drivers and Barriers in the Consumer Adoption of Personal Health Records: Empirical Investigation. JMIR Medical Informatics, 9(9): e30322.
- Ruhi, U. and Chugh, R. 2021. Utility, Value, and Benefits of Contemporary Personal Health Records: Integrative Review and Conceptual Synthesis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(4): e26877.
- Ruhi, U. 2020. A Socio-Psychological Perspective on Flattening the COVID-19 Curve: Implications for Public Health Program Delivery in Canada. Canadian Health Policy, April 2020: 1-10.
- Obidallah, W.J., Ruhi, U. and Raahemi, B. 2020. Clustering and Association Rules for Web Service Discovery and Recommendation: A Systematic Literature Review. SN Computer Science, 1(27): 1-33.
- Chugh, R., Patel, S., Patel, N. and Ruhi, U. 2019. Likes, Comments and Shares on Social Media: Exploring User Engagement with a State Tourism Facebook Page. International Journal of Web Based Communities, 15(2): 104 - 122.
- Chugh, R. and Ruhi, U. 2018. Social Media in Higher Education: A Literature Review of Facebook. Education and Information Technologies, 23(2): 605-616.
Chapters in Books
- Chugh, R. and Ruhi, U. Social Media for Tertiary Education. In Encyclopedia of Education and Information Technologies. Amsterdam: Springer-Verlag, 2019.
Funded Research during the last 7 years
From-To | Source | Title | * | ** | Role | Amount |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024-2025 | MITACS | Advocacy-focused, AI-Enabled, Stakeholder Relationship Management System | R | O | PI | $ 30,000 |
2024 | MITACS | Enhancing Clinical Documentation through Large Language Models | R | O | Co-I | $ 30,000 |
2023-2024 | University of Ottawa | Guided AI Exploration to Promote Student Knowledge Acquisition & Skill Development | R | I | PI | $ 10,000 |
2023 | MITACS | Functionality & Usability of Digital Disinformation-Countering Technologies | R | O | PI | $ 15,000 |
2023 | Telfer School of Management Research Grants (SMRG) | Understanding Misinformation and Disinformation in Online Media | R | I | PI | $ 6,000 |
2022-2023 | MITACS | GRID (Geo-Registry Integrated Datachain): Blockchain Enabled Land Registry | R | O | PI | $ 30,000 |
2021-2024 | Telfer School of Management Education Excellence Fellowship | Using Learning Analytics & Adaptive Gamification in Instructional Design | R | I | PI | $ 45,000 |
2021-2022 | Canadian Heritage | Comprehensive Evaluation of Online Disinformation-Countering Tools | R | G | PI | $ 68,160 |
2019 | MITACS | User Experience Evaluation of End-User Development Technologies | R | O | PI | $ 15,000 |
2018-2020 | MITACS | Trade Promotion Forecasting & Optimization for Consumer-Packaged Goods | R | O | Co-I | $ 105,000 |
2018-2019 | MITACS | Blockchain Enabled Land Registry: Towards Improving Transparency, Accountability & Compliance | R | O | PI | $ 15,000 |
2017-2018 | Telfer School of Management Research Fund (SMRF) | Organizational Change Management Practices for IT Consumerization Initiatives | R | I | PI | $ 6,000 |
LEGEND:
*Purpose
C: Contract (R and D) | E: Equipment Grant | R: Research Grant | S: Support Award | P: Pedagogical Grant | O: Other, U: Unknown
**Type
C: Granting Councils | G: Government | F: Foundations | I: UO Internal Funding | O: Other | U: Unknown
Role
PI = Principal Investigator | Co-I = Co-Investigator | Co-PI = Co-Principal Investigator