Meet Gloria Opoku-Boateng, a Young Ghanaian-American Ph.D. Holder in Information Systems

Ghanaian-American scientist Gloria Opoku-Boateng has announced she will be pursuing a career as a user experience researcher.

Opoku-Boateng recently completed her Ph.D. degree in Information Systems, graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of Baltimore Maryland County (UMBC), according to UMBC News.

With a dissertation focused on how gaming apps and board and paper games enhance mental acuity in older adults, Opoku-Boateng described her time at UMBC as rewarding and fulfilling.

“At UMBC, I was encouraged to go out and get experiences for myself. As a result, I interned at large tech companies, research labs, small consulting companies, and the federal government. I experienced it all and…I am now better positioned to move forward in a career direction that I am most comfortable with,” she says.

“I felt that I had a community of fellow graduate students and mentors who understood my journey.”

Opoku-Boateng’s core skills include proficiency programming with HTML/CSS, Swift with Xcode, and SQL, R. She is also skilled at graphic design, audio transcription, video editing, public speaking, group facilitation, and storytelling.

For her brilliant research work, Opoku-Boateng received several scholarships, including grants from Internet giant Google as well as IBM, LinkedIn, and Xerox.

She has also participated in several conferences, such as the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference, AMIA Conference for Informatics Professionals, Global Students Forum, and the Latin American and Caribbean Conference for Engineering and Technology.

Opoku-Boateng is also credited with working with a team of researchers to develop the award-winning app iHelp that is designed to reduce hunger and extreme poverty in line with the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.