Privacy Policy

GradNova LLC (“GradNova,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the GradNova platform at gradnova.com (the “Service”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you use our Service.

By using GradNova, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

Account Information

• Email address (verified before account creation)
• Phone number (verified via SMS during registration for identity verification)
• Password (securely hashed; we never store plaintext passwords)
• Account type (student or faculty)

Student Profile Information

• Name
• Bio/personal statement
• Target degree type (MS, PhD, or either)
• Research interests
• Profile visibility preference (public or private)
• Academic credentials: GPA (with scale), GRE scores, TOEFL/IELTS scores (all optional except GPA)
• Links to external profiles: CV/resume, GitHub, LinkedIn, Google Scholar, ORCID
• Publications (title, venue, year, URL)
• Skills

Faculty Profile Information (Claimed Accounts)

• Name and contact email
• Institution and department
• Bio (personal or lab)
• Research interests
• Recruiting status and funding availability
• Degree types sought
• Position details
• Links to personal/lab website, Google Scholar, ORCID
• Profile photo

Communications

• Messages sent through our in-app messaging system
• Message requests and conversation history

1.2 Information We Collect Automatically

Activity Data

• Timestamps of logins, profile edits, and platform interactions
• Last active time
• Profile view counts (who viewed your profile)

Technical Data

• IP address, browser type, device information
• Log data for error tracking and security

1.3 Information from Third-Party Sources

We create preliminary faculty profiles using publicly available information from:

• University department websites
• Public academic databases and APIs (e.g., academic metrics such as h-index, citation counts, and research interests)

These profiles are clearly labeled as “Unclaimed — Data from public sources.” Faculty members can claim their profiles to take ownership or request removal (see Section 6).

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide the Service: Match students with faculty based on research interests, credentials, and preferences
• Communicate with you: Send notifications about interest expressions, message requests, and account activity
• Improve the Service: Analyze aggregate usage patterns to improve features and user experience
• Ensure security: Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorized access
• Comply with legal obligations: Respond to legal requests and enforce our Terms of Service

We do not:

• Sell your personal data to third parties
• Build advertising profiles
• Make automated decisions with legal or significant effects without human review

We may create and share aggregated, de-identified data (such as trends in research interest popularity or application patterns) that cannot reasonably be used to identify any individual. This aggregated data is not considered personal information under this policy.

3. How We Share Your Information

3.1 With Other Users

Student Profiles

• Only authenticated faculty members can view student profile information. Student profiles are not indexed by search engines or visible to unauthenticated visitors.
• When you express interest in a specific faculty member, your email address is shared with that faculty member so they can respond to you directly. Your email is not otherwise shared with any other user. We are actively building an in-app messaging system that will replace this email handoff in a future release.

Faculty Profiles

• Basic faculty information (name, institution, department, bio, research interests, recruiting status) is publicly visible for discovery and search engine indexing.
• Additional details (h-index, citations, website URLs) are visible only to authenticated users.
• Email addresses are never shown to other users.

3.2 With Service Providers

We share data with third-party service providers who help us operate the platform, including providers of:

• Cloud hosting and infrastructure
• Email delivery
• SMS delivery (for phone verification only)
• Authentication services

These providers process data on our behalf under contractual obligations to protect your information. They are not permitted to use your data for their own purposes.

3.3 For Legal Reasons

We may disclose your information if required to:

• Comply with applicable law, regulation, or legal process
• Protect the rights, property, or safety of GradNova, our users, or the public
• Enforce our Terms of Service

4. Data Retention

After account deletion, we retain soft-deleted data for 90 days to allow for account recovery. After this period, data is permanently purged.

5. Your Rights

5.1 All Users

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data held by GradNova
• Correct inaccurate information in your profile
• Delete your account and associated data
• Control visibility of your profile (students can toggle public/private)
• Opt out of non-essential email notifications

5.2 Rights Under GDPR (European Economic Area)

If you are located in the EEA, you additionally have the right to:

• Data portability: Request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format
• Restrict processing: Limit how we use your data in certain circumstances
• Object to processing: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, withdraw at any time
• Lodge a complaint: File a complaint with your local data protection authority

Legal Basis for Processing: We process your data based on:

• Contract performance: To provide the Service you signed up for
• Legitimate interests: To improve the Service, ensure security, and communicate with you
• Consent: For optional features like Google OAuth and email notifications

5.3 Rights Under CCPA / Nevada Privacy Law

If you are a Nevada or California resident, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect and how it is used
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell your personal data)
• Non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

6. Faculty Opt-Out (Unclaimed Profiles)

If your faculty profile was created from publicly available information and you would like it removed:

1. Visit your profile page on GradNova
2. Click “Remove my information”
3. Verify your identity via a confirmation email sent to your institutional email
4. Upon confirmation, your profile will be permanently deleted

We will also add your email to our opt-out list to prevent your profile from being recreated in future data collection.

7. SMS and Phone Verification

We collect your phone number during account registration solely to verify your identity. A one-time SMS verification code is sent to confirm phone number ownership. By providing your phone number and requesting a verification code, you consent to receive this SMS message from GradNova.

• Purpose: Identity verification only. We do not use your phone number for marketing, promotions, or any other purpose.
• Frequency: One-time verification code during registration. You may request a new code if the original expires.
• Sharing: Your phone number is never shared with other users or third parties, except the SMS delivery provider that transmits the verification code on our behalf.
• Opt-out: You may reply STOP to any SMS message to opt out. Reply HELP for assistance. You may also contact us at support@gradnova.com.
• Costs: Standard message and data rates may apply depending on your mobile carrier.
• Retention: Your phone number is stored as part of your account data and deleted when you delete your account (see Section 4).

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data:

• Encryption in transit: All data transmitted using TLS/SSL
• Encryption at rest: Database storage encrypted
• Authentication: Passwords securely hashed; token-based API authorization
• Access controls: Role-based access with audit logging for administrative actions
• Email privacy: A student's email address is shared with a faculty member only when the student has expressed interest in that faculty member, so the faculty member can respond directly. Faculty email addresses are never exposed to other users. All other communication occurs through the platform.

No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. If you discover a security vulnerability, please contact us at security@gradnova.com.

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use essential cookies to maintain your login session and remember your preferences. We do not use tracking cookies for advertising purposes.

Do Not Track: Some browsers send a “Do Not Track” (DNT) signal. Because there is no industry standard for DNT, we do not currently respond to DNT signals. This policy describes our data practices regardless of your DNT setting.

We may introduce analytics tools in the future to improve the Service. If we do, we will update this section and provide appropriate opt-out mechanisms.

10. Third-Party Links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., university pages, Google Scholar profiles, ORCID). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing them with your information.

11. Children's Privacy

GradNova is intended for use by graduate students and faculty. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 16. If we learn that we have collected data from a child under 16, we will delete it promptly.

12. International Data Transfers

GradNova is based in the United States. If you access the Service from outside the US, your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States. By using the Service, you consent to this transfer. We take appropriate safeguards to ensure your data is protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Posting the updated policy on this page with a new “Last Updated” date
• Sending an email notification for significant changes

Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, contact us at:

GradNova LLC
Email: privacy@gradnova.com

For GDPR-related inquiries, you may also contact our data protection point of contact at the email above.