I lead the Human-Centered Security and Privacy group at the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (MPI-SP) since 2023. Our research seeks to make security, privacy, AI, and computing technologies broadly speaking safer and more equitable for everyone, particularly for marginalized and underserved communities. Some of our current research directions include:

• Accessible Computing: Security and Privacy Needs of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Communities (IEEE S&P'26) | Bridge Privacy and Accessibility Research (ASSETS'23 Workshop) | Cross-Contextual Lens of Older Adults' Privacy Concerns and Behaviors (PoPETs'24) | Older Adults’ Experiences with Biometric Payment (CHI'26)
• Cultural Aspects of Security and Privacy: Digital Security Practices in WEIRD vs. Non-WEIRD Countries (SEC'25) | Perceptions of Targeted Advertising Across Cultures and Religions (PoPETs'25) | Security and Privacy Advice in the Majority World (IEEE S&P'26) | Infrastructure Sharing in Rural Ghana (SEC'25)
• Cybercrime Prevention and Defense: Anti-Scam Interventions Through Role-Based Simulations (CHI'26) | Individual Resilience After Cybercrime (CHI'26) | The Interplay Between Scams and Human Trafficking (CHI'26) | Intergenerational Support and Challenges in Online Scam Defense (CHI'25)
• Conceptual Tools and Frameworks for Researchers: A Socio-Ecological View of Vulnerability (CSCW'25) | Privacy Considerations for Research Using Social Media Data (IEEE S&P'25) | Differential Access to Digital Security and Privacy (SOUPS'25) | Improve Diversity and Inclusion in Usable Privacy and Security Research (CHI'26)
• Responsible AI: Lay Perceptions of Algorithmic Discrimination (CHI'25) | Contrast Public Views on AI Risk with the EU AI Act (CHI'26) | Corporate Discourses on Generative AI Safety (CHI'26)

We are strong believers of interdisciplinary research and have established several collaborations with scholars in law and social sciences. We always look for opportunities to engage with communities, companies, policymakers, and non-profit organizations to translate our research into impacts.

Our research has been funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft or “DFG”), DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), Google, and Meta.

Group Members

I am extremely lucky to work with the following amazing people:

Postdocs

• Kentrell Owens (since 2025)
• Veronica Rivera (since 2025)
• Xiaowei Chen (since 2025, co-advised with Thorsten Holz)
• Tarini Saka (since 2026)

Ph.D. Students

• Gabriel Lima (since 2023)
• Mindy Tran (since 2024)
• Priyasha Chatterjee (since 2024)
• Yasamin Golzar (since 2025, co-advised with Marcel Böhme)
• Guanming Shi (since 2025)

Alumni

• Yue Deng (visiting PhD student, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2025)
• Ankolika De (visiting PhD student, Penn State University, 2025)
• Marcos Silva (research intern, 2025)
• Xiaowei Chen (visiting PhD student, University of Luxembourg, 2025 --> Postdoc, MPI-SP)
• Emmanuel Tweneboah (reserch intern, 2024-2025 --> Master's student, Ruhr University Bochum)
• Collins Munyendo (visiting PhD student, the George Washington University, 2023-2024 --> Postdoc, UC Berkeley)
• Kyle Beadle (visiting PhD student, University College London, 2024)
• Smirity Kaushik (visiting PhD student, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2023-2024 --> Postdoc, the George Washington University)
• Jackie Hu (research intern, 2023 --> PhD student, University of Michigan)
• Johanna Gunawan (visiting PhD student, Northeastern University, 2023 --> Assistant Professor, Maastricht University)
• Mindy Tran (research intern, 2023-2024 --> PhD student, MPI-SP)
• Princessa Cintaqia (research intern, 2023 --> PhD student, Boston University)
• Xinru Tang (research intern, 2023 --> PhD student, UC Irvine)

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