hello!

I am a human-computer interaction researcher and information scientist with expertise in social, digital, and interactive media, computer-mediated communication, critical data studies, and social informatics. My research explores how people, particularly underrepresented and minoritized groups,  use various forms of media and data to form and maintain communities. I am currently working as a User Experience Researcher at Google, conducting research at the intersection of fan funding, live-streaming, and gaming as part of the YouTube emerging experiences team. I am additionally a Visiting Research Fellow at the UCSB Center for Information, Technology, & Society, and an Intermittent Lecturer/Adjunct Faculty at University of Michigan School of Information. 

I received my Ph.D. from the Department of Information Studies at UCLA, where I focused my dissertation on how youth use social media for social support. I hold a Masters of Library & Information Science from the same department, and a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Cornell University. 

My work has been published in CHI, PACM HCI CSCW, Big Data & Society, and HICSS, and has been recognized by ACM SIGCHI, the Ford Foundation, and the Bouchet Honor Society. In addition to my research, I have worked as an instructional designer with the UCLA Library WI+RE team, and have fueled my passion for inclusion in STEM, higher education, and tech as a committee member and leader in several diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.