I am a scholar in human-computer interaction (HCI) and assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where I direct the Security and Privacy Experiences (SPEX) research group. I am faculty director of the UNC Charlotte Cybersecurity Clinic, and a member of the Human-Centered Computing (HCC) Lab, Center for Cyber Defense and Network Assurance (CyberDNA), Center for Energy Security and Reliability (CESaR), and Center for Humane AI Studies (CHAIS).
I work at the intersection of HCI, cybersecurity, privacy, and human-centered AI. My focus is on cognitive security: understanding how people make security and privacy decisions, how adversaries manipulate human judgment, and how technology can help users remain resilient in increasingly complex digital environments. I develop theories, measurements, and interventions, including work on security attitudes and anxiety, social influences on cybersecurity behavior, phishing and scam susceptibility, human-AI interaction, and adaptive interface design. I employ qualitative, quantitative, and research-through-design methods from social science, computing, and design. My work is informed by prior experiences as a journalist, IT/UX specialist, and social media manager.
In 2018-19, I created the SA-6 security attitude scale. SA-6 is a six-item, self-report measure of a person's engagement with and attentiveness to cybersecurity measures. You are free to use it with attribution. Also, see my SA-13 inventory and the associated working paper for items measuring resistance and concernedness.
In 2024-25, I helped to create the CybAS cybersecurity anxiety scale. This is a 15-item, three-factor measure of the degree to which someone feels present or future fears and a sense of control about their security and privacy in the AI age. You are free to use it with attribution.
For Fall 2026, I am teaching two face-to-face courses: ITIS 4214: Usable Security and Privacy MW 4p-5:15p, and ITIS 4353/5353: Social Technology Design W 5:30p-8:15p. I also am mentoring independent-study students, helping direct the graduate course in the UNC Charlotte Cybersecurity Clinic, and a Special Topics course for undergraduate students to pilot Participatory AI Risk Assessment. Contact me if you would like to help coach our clinic students or be set up as a client.
Interested in survey research for HCI? Check out (and comment on) my list of books, papers and blog posts that either helped me or are good exemplars (some of them are my own papers) at this link. Also, see my slides on Subjective Methods.
Recent news:
- The Cognitive Security Institute has released a video of my presentation to them last February. My talk is titled "Cybersecurity Social Dynamics: Attitudes, Influences, Usable Security." Watch it on their YouTube channel.
- Congratulations to Sarah Tabassum on successfully defending her dissertation! She is my first student to earn her doctorate. Read about her Google-funded work in a profile published on the UNC Charlotte website.