Allison McDonald

Allison McDonald is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences at Boston University, specializing in digital privacy and cybersecurity. Her research focuses on protecting marginalized groups such as undocumented immigrants, sex workers, and victims of intimate-partner violence through transdisciplinary methodologies blending computational analysis and social science.

• PhD in Computer Science, University of Michigan (2022)
• BSE in Computer Science and BS in German, University of Michigan

McDonald’s work examines how government regulation and corporate policies impact digital safety, employing techniques like human-subject interviews, internet measurement, and experimental studies. She advocates for equitable internet governance and develops tools to mitigate systemic harms.

Her accolades include Best Paper Awards at top-tier conferences (USENIX, IEEE, ACM) and fellowships from Facebook, Rackham, and Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy & Technology. She previously studied human rights law at the European University Viadrina.

• Best Paper Awards: USENIX Security Symposium, IEEE Security & Privacy Symposium, ACM CHI Conference
• Fellowships: Facebook, Rackham Merit, Georgetown Law Center on Privacy & Technology

McDonald’s research bridges technical and policy-driven solutions to enhance digital safety, with a particular emphasis on marginalized populations.