Diana Freed

I completed my Ph.D. in Information Science at Cornell University. I am a 2023 -24 joint fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and at the Center for Research on Computation and Society at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. I am also a 2024 incoming Assistant Professor at Brown University in the Department of Computer Science and the Data Science Institute. My research interests are in human-computer interaction (HCI), computer security, privacy, inclusive design, technology policy, and digital health. I work on designing, building, and evaluating sociotechnical systems in the context of youth interpersonal relationships, intimate partner violence, and caregiving systems. I also develop resources to improve digital literacy to enable individuals to make informed choices regarding technology use and to improve understanding of digital risks and harms. I use qualitative and computational social science methods to develop new tools, technologies, and theories to detect and mitigate digital harms and inequities, facilitate safety, and inform policy.

I am a recipient of a 2022-2023 Google Grant, a 2020-2022 Meta PhD Research Fellowship, a 2019-2020 Digital Life Initiative Doctoral Fellowship, and an Engaged Cornell Graduate Student Grant. My research has been recognized with a 2019 ACM CSCW Honorable Mention for Best Paper for work on clinical computer security interventions with survivors of intimate partner violence, a 2018 ACM CHI Best Paper Award for work on digital technologies and intimate partner violence, and a 2018 CSCW paper recognition for my contribution to Diversity and Inclusion.

Currently, I am an Affiliate at the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP) at the University of North Carolina. I am also an Affiliate and a former Fellow at the Data and Society Research Institute. Previously, I worked as a Technologist-in-Residence in the Small Data Lab at Cornell Tech where my research focused on digital health, mobile sensing, and patient-centered design. I am a graduate of NYU and Columbia University. After graduating from NYU I was a visiting scholar at NYU-ITP from 2015-2018.

I am actively involved in advocacy work and develop and lead digital security, privacy, and safety trainings for survivors, advocates, schools, colleges, and organizations in the US and globally. I also serve on the advisory board of the World Childhood Foundation and as a member of the NY Cyber Abuse Task Force. Additionally, I collaborate with the New York City Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence and serve on the Health and Technology Steering Committee, and the Health and Gender-Based Violence Working Group. My advocacy work has been recognized with an Advocate of New York City Award from the New York City Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence.