About

Email: casey.fiesler@colorado.edu
Social Media: casey.prof

SHORT BIO:

Casey Fiesler is an Associate Professor of Information Science (and Computer Science by courtesy) at University of Colorado Boulder. She researches and teaches in the areas of technology ethics, internet law and policy, and online communities. Her work on research ethics for data science, ethics education in computing, and broadening participation in computing has been supported by the National Science Foundation, and she is the recipient of an NSF CAREER Award. Also a public scholar, she is a frequent commentator and speaker on topics of technology ethics and policy, and her research has been covered everywhere from The New York Times to Teen Vogue (though she’s particularly proud of her TikToks). She holds a PhD in Human-Centered Computing and a a JD from Vanderbilt Law School.

LONG BIO:

Casey Fiesler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Science (as well as Computer Science, by courtesy) at CU Boulder, with additional affiliations with Silicon Flatirons at the law school and the ATLAS Institute. She completed her PhD in Human-Centered Computing in the school of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech, where her dissertation focused on the role that copyright law plays in online creative communities.

She primarily researches and teaches technology ethics and law, and online communities. Current areas of focus include big data research ethics, ethics education, ethical speculation in technology design, content moderation and social media policy, technology empowerment for marginalized communities, and broadening participation in computing; much of this work is supported by the National Science Foundation (including a CAREER grant), Mozilla, and Omidyar. Her research is frequently covered in the media, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, and Teen Vogue. She and her students conduct research under the umbrella of the Internet Rules Lab.

She is also passionate about science communication and public education, and in addition to writing for the popular press, she also makes educational content for platforms like TikTok and provides advice for PhD applicants on YouTube.

You also may have heard of her history with STEM Barbies. In addition to her typical research areas, she is happy to speak to issues related to representation and to women and technology.

Prior to her PhD, she earned a law degree from Vanderbilt University, with specialized coursework in intellectual property and Internet law. She served on the editorial board for the Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law, and her student note received a Burton Award for legal writing. She is a member of the legal committee of the Organization for Transformative Works, a Fellow in Silicon Flatirons at the CU Boulder Law School, and was previously a faculty affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. In 2011 she was a Google Policy Fellow and had the opportunity to work at Creative Commons.

She also has an M.S. in Human-Computer Interaction as well as a B.S. in Psychology from Georgia Tech. She grew up in Georgia, was on drumline with the Georgia Tech marching band as an undergraduate, and is a published science fiction and fantasy writer. She attended the Clarion Writers Workshop in 2006 at Michigan State. She also used to write a great deal of fanfiction and happily identifies as a fangirl. She reads voraciously, and also enjoys knitting and D&D (ideally at the same time).

More information: curriculum vitae