Rate My Professor Verena Distler

Verena Distler is an Assistant Professor on the tenure-track in the Department of Computer Science at Aalto University, Finland, where since September 2024 she has led the Research Group Humans, Security and Privacy. Her interdisciplinary research investigates the intersection of psychology, human-computer interaction, and security/privacy, with a focus on human-centered security and privacy. She studies users' security and privacy experiences, manipulative interactions with technology such as social engineering attacks, and strategies to foster behavior change for enhanced cybersecurity and defenses against misinformation. Distler employs qualitative and quantitative social science methods in her work, contributing to areas like usable privacy and security, and aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals including SDG 9, SDG 10, and SDG 16.

Distler obtained her PhD in Psychology and Human-Computer Interaction from the University of Luxembourg in 2021, under the supervision of Prof. Vincent Koenig, including a visiting research stay at Carnegie Mellon University's CyLab with Prof. Lorrie Cranor in 2019. She holds a Master's degree in Social Sciences specializing in information and communication from the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France (2015-2017), and a Bachelor's degree in International Management from FH Krems, Austria (2011-2014). Her career includes postdoctoral positions at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich (2022-2024) and the University of Luxembourg (2021-2022), as well as doctoral research at the University of Luxembourg (2017-2021). Key publications encompass 'Beyond Deterrence: A Systematic Review of the Role of Autonomous Motivation in Organizational Security Behavior Studies' (CHI 2025, co-authored with X. Chen et al., Honorable Mention Award), 'The Framework of Security-Enhancing Friction: How UX Can Help Users Behave More Securely' (NSPW 2020, co-authored with G. Lenzini et al.), 'A systematic literature review of empirical methods and risk representation in usable privacy and security research' (TOCHI 2021, co-authored with M. Fassl et al.), 'Vishing: Detecting social engineering in spoken communication' (Computer Speech & Language 2025, co-authored with A. Triantafyllopoulos et al.), and her PhD thesis 'The Experience of Security in Human-Computer Interactions' (2021). Awards include the CHI 2025 Honorable Mention, CLIHC 2023 Honorable Mention for 'The Perceived Influence of E-Shopping Cues on Customers’ Buying Decisions', Excellent PhD Thesis Award from the University of Luxembourg (2021), and 1st prize of the Prix du mémoire digital (2018). Her publications appear in premier venues such as CHI, USENIX Security, IEEE S&P, and SOUPS, advancing human-centered approaches in cybersecurity.