I utilize an evolutionary framework to analyze how people think, communicate, and make privacy-related decisions in digitally structured environments. I use insights from evolutionary psychology, communication studies, cognitive science, and computational linguistics, and focus some of my work on law and policy.
Do you work in Computer Science & Engineering? OR Do you use Social Media and LLMs (e.g. ChatGPT)?
I am looking for individuals who:
are between 25 and 45 years old
speak English as a first language
have a bachelor’s degree
be a permanent U.S. resident, living in the Bay Area
have some prior experience using both social media and large language models (e.g. ChatGPT) — and/or work in Computer Science/Engineering, especially if your work involves consumer-facing technology or services
Interviews will be in-person at a location of your choosing, and will take place between June and September 2026. Participants will be compensated for their time with a $35 Amazon gift card.
Interested? Sign up for an interview slot here: https://privacy26.my.canva.site
An Evolutionary Approach to Privacy and Information Managment Psychology
S.E. Klitgaard & D. M. T. Fessler. 2026. Evolutionary Human sciences.
Letter to the Federal Trade Commission Re: Negative Option Rule ANPRM, Project No. P064202.
2026. Collaboration with Jennifer King, PhD.
Privacy and LLM-based Chatbots: Current Issues and Insights from Linguistic Theory
2026. Invited talk to Computer Science 263: Advanced Natural Language Processing. Instructor: Saadia Gabriel. University of California, Los Angeles.
Workshop paper for Bridge Over Troubled Water: Aligning Commercial Incentives With Ethical Design Practice To Combat Deceptive Patterns. Workshop at the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26), April 13–17, 2026, Barcelona, Spain
An Evolutionary Approach to Privacy
Poster Presented at 2024 AABAs
An Evolutionary Approach to Privacy
2024. Master's Thesis
download my CV (updated 4/12/26)
see research from past eras