About Me
"Kyi" can be pronounced like "Key"
I write about why I prefer it pronounced this way here.
Hi! My name is Lin, and I am a PhD candidate at the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (MPI-SP) where I am fortunate to be supervised by Asia Biega in the Responsible Computing Group.
I am interested in reimagining online consent for more responsible and human-centred data collection. I collaborate with researchers across CS and law for broader societal and regulatory impact. Combining these collaborations with my own background in HCI, psychology, and privacy, I investigate the human aspects of the consent ecosystem.
I have presented my work and have engaged with privacy stakeholders across Europe and the US, such as the French Data Protection Authority, NOYB, and the Future of Privacy Forum. My work has also won the Council of Europe's 2024 Rodotà Award in Data Protection, and has been featured in an AI Ethics Brief from the Montreal Institute of AI Ethics.
Education
PhD in Computer Science at the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (Bochum, Germany)
Supervisor: Asia Biega
Research Interests: Online consent, ethical data collection, deceptive design
September 2021 - Present
MA in Human-Computer Interaction at Carleton University (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
I was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) during my studies.
Supervisor: Elizabeth Stobert
Thesis: “End User Mental Models of Social Engineering Attacks” [PDF]
2019 - 2021
BA (Honours) in Psychology at Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario, Canada)
2015 - 2019
Relevant Work Experience
Fall 2023: Research Intern, University of Oxford (Human-Centred Computing Group)
2023 - Present: Member of the Support Pool of Experts, European Data Protection Board
May - August 2020: UX Research Intern, Government of Canada
2016 - 2019: Undergraduate Research Assistant, Queen's University Department of Psychology
Service
Reviewer, CHI 2024, FAccT 2024
2022 - Present: Organizer, Spark(l)ing Science (a student-run bi-weekly series of casual research talks and discussions within MPI-SP)
2023 - 2024: PhD Representative for MPI-SP, Max Planck Society's PhDNet
2022: Student Volunteer, FAccT 2022
Personal
Due to my unexpected (and very exciting!) journey into computer science research, I want to expand our ideas of what “computer science” is to encourage more diversity in this field. Stereotypes about computer science and computer scientists can deter many women and underrepresented groups from pursuing a career in this discipline [read more].
Stumbling upon this wonderful career path after taking a course on design in undergrad has led me to realize how broad computer science is. Just look at the interesting and interdisciplinary work being published at top computer science venues such as CHI, CSCW, FAccT, among others to understand how this discipline can be used to improve and understand human life and society.
If you are from the social sciences and interested in pivoting to computer science, please feel free to reach out to me and I’d be happy to chat.