Dr. Verena Distler
Assistant Professor, Aalto University
I am an assistant professor at Aalto University’s Computer Science Department (Finland), where I head the Research Group Humans, Security and Privacy.
My interdisciplinary research examines how people experience, interpret and respond to deception and risk in digital environments, and how technology could support resilience, critical judgement, and user autonomy.
My research interests include:
Human experiences of digital deception, including social engineering, scams, misinformation, and related forms of online manipulation.
Psychological and social mechanisms that shape people's responses to digital threats and interventions.
Design and evaluation of user-centered interventions that promote critical judgement, maintain autonomy, and enhance resilience to digital threats.
Before joining Aalto, I worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at UniBw M in Munich. I earned my Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Luxembourg, during which I also completed a research stay at CMU’s Cylab. I also hold a master’s degree in social sciences from the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon in France.
The best way to reach me is email: verena.distler AT aalto.fi.
