About Me

Hello! My name is Lin (she/her). I am a PhD student at the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (MPI-SP) where I am supervised by Asia Biega in the Responsible Computing Group. My research is focused on building stronger foundations for online consent in the age of AI to promote better user privacy, safety, and data autonomy.

I am supported by the 2025 Google PhD Fellowship (in the Privacy, Safety, and Security research area). My papers have received awards, including the 2024 Council of Europe Award in Data Protection, and best paper. My research has also engaged regulators, industry, trade unions, privacy NGOs, and AI ethics stakeholders across North America and Europe.

My work sits at the intersection of security and privacy, human-computer interaction, and tech policy. I use qualitative and quantitative HCI research methods, and primarily publish in computing venues (CHI, USENIX Security, FAccT).

Education

PhD in Computer Science at the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (MPI-SP) (Bochum, Germany)
Supervisor: Asia Biega
September 2021 - September 2026

MA in Human-Computer Interaction at Carleton University (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
Thesis: “End User Mental Models of Social Engineering Attacks” PDF

BA (Honours) in Psychology at Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

---

first.last@mpi-sp.org LinkedIn Google Scholar