Who are we?

The Identity Lab is led by Jed Brubaker, an Associate Professor of Information Science in CU Boulder's college of Media, Communication, and Information. The lab focuses on studying and designing how identity is designed, represented and experienced in technology.

The team

Jed R. Brubaker

Jed R. Brubaker

Lab Director
Associate Professor

I'm an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Science at CU Boulder. I joined the faculty at CU after finishing a Ph.D. in the department of Informatics at UC Irvine. I love cat pics and gummy candies, and have never met a research method I didn't like.

Anthony Pinter

Anthony Pinter

Teaching Assistant Professor
ATLAS Institute

I am a Teaching Assistant Professor in the ATLAS Institute. I completed my Ph.D. in Information Science at CU Boulder in 2022. My research focuses on how identity in constructed through our relationships with others in the wake of romantic breakups. Outside of my work in those realms, I enjoy spending my time outside, where I ride bikes and skis whenever possible, for as long as possible.

Malinda (Mally) Dietrich

Malinda (Mally) Dietrich

Ph.D. Candidate
Communication

As a PhD student in the Communication department, I strive to be an interdisciplinary scholar interested in understanding how technologies inscribe data and organize information through mainly ethnographic and archival methods. I earned my B.A. in Communication (concentration in Media) and my M.S. in Communication from North Carolina State University. I enjoy caffeine consumption, hiking (read: spending time with my dog), playing video games, making art, and watching hockey.

Katy Weathington

Katy Weathington

Ph.D. Candidate
Information Science

Katy Weathington is a fourth year PhD student at University of Colorado Boulder's Department of Information Science. Her research examines how queer identities are made into and utilized as data.

Dylan Thomas Doyle

Dylan Thomas Doyle

Ph.D. Candidate
Information Science

I am a Ph.D student in Information Science researching the intersection between death, grief and technology design and investigating how online platforms and communities might better embed values of empathy to sustain holistic systems of support for their users. I am an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister and former hospital chaplain. In my spare time I host The Radical AI Podcast, play guitar, and run marathons.

“Camille Butera”

“Camille Butera”

“Ph.D. Student”
“Information Science”

“I am a first year PhD student in Information Science. Previously I completed a BA in Sociology at Smith College, an MSc in the Social Science of the Internet at the Oxford Internet Institute. My research focuses on the ways in which the design and infrastructure of technology shapes the way we conceptualize ourselves and our ties to other. Outside of the lab, I'm currently trying to learn as many kinds of fiber arts as I feasibly can.”

“Jack Manning”

“Jack Manning”

“M.S. Student”
“Information Science”

“I am a Master's Student in Information Science and a member of the IDLab. I completed my undergraduate degree in Creative Technology and Design at the ATLAS Institute at CU Boulder last May. My work focuses on creative implementations of technology and how it can better solve people's problems. While I love to blend my personal interests and my professional work I enjoy cooking, playing games with friends, and making silly things.”

Adrian Petterson

Adrian Petterson

Ph.D. Student
Information Science (Toronto)

I am a Ph.D student in Information Science at the University of Toronto researching networks of informal care for people seeking abortions and leveraging design for social justice. I have a Master's in UX Design and I am an organizing member of the Toronto Design Justice Network Node. Outside of research, I like music jams, trail running and petting cats.

Colleen Campbell

Colleen Campbell

Lecturer
Communication

I am a lecturer in the Department of Communication at CU Boulder and I am an enthusiastic organizer for end-of-life, post-mortem, and bereavement scholars at the National Communication Association (NCA). Outside of the academy: A fitness devotee, a user experience (UX) and learning experience (LX) dabbler, a virtual reality (VR) gamer.

Undergraduate Students

We are supported by many amazing undergraduate researchers. Many projects would not have been possible without them:

  • Fahad Almansour (Advertising, Public Relations, and Media Design)
  • Reece Suchocki (Information Science)

Collaborators

  • Caitie Lustig (University of Washington)
  • Charlie Blue Brahm (University of Washington)

Lab Alumni

Postdoctoral Members

  • Morgan Klaus Scheuerman, Information Science (Research Scientist at Sony AI)
  • Michael Ann DeVito, Information Science (Assistant Professor at Northeastern University)
  • Jes Feuston, Information Science (Researcher at Meta)

Graduate Members

  • Casey Paul, M.S. in Information Science 2023 (UX Designer at IDE Interactive)
  • Kandrea Wade, M.S. in Information Science 2023 (UX Researcher at Material)
  • Katie Gach, Ph.D. in Technology, Media, & Society (ATLAS), 2021 (Researcher at Meta)
  • Aaron Jiang, Ph.D. in Information Science, 2020 (Researcher at Meta)
  • Blake Hallinan, Ph.D. in Communication, 2019 (Lecturer at Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
  • Ethan Hanner, Computer Science

Undergraduate Members

  • Frank Stinar (Computer Science)
  • Joel Holton (Information Science)
  • Kayden Adams (Computer Science)
  • Amjad Alharbi (Computer Science)
  • Ian Fawaz (Computer Science)
  • Kyle Frye (Information Science)
  • Ellie Huey (Media Studies)
  • Marissa Kelley (Information Science)
  • Chris Koehler (Information Science)
  • Josh McCann (Computer Science)
  • Skyler Middler (Information Science)
  • Jacob Paul (Information Science)
  • Rachael Robinson (Applied Mathematics)
  • Tom Slesinger (Information Science)

Research Support

National Science Foundation

National Science Foundation

Facebook

Facebook

Mozilla Foundation

Mozilla Foundation

Gill Foundation

Gill Foundation