Collins Munyendo

About Me

I am a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Center for Effective Global Action at UC Berkeley working with Nitin Kohli. Starting Fall 2027, I will join the Department of Computer Science at the National University of Singapore as an Assistant Professor where I will direct the SPOT Lab. If you are interested in joining the lab or collaborating on research, more information can be found there.

I earned my PhD in Computer Science from the George Washington University where I was advised by Adam Aviv. During my PhD, I spent two summers at the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy where I enjoyed working with Yixin Zou and Elissa Redmiles. My research interests are in human-centered security and privacy. I use computational and social science methods to study and improve the security, privacy, and safety of diverse users. My recent work has focused on three directions:

Authentication: Investigating how users authenticate on multiple domains, designing systems that improve security and usability.
Technology Harms: Studying harms of current and emerging technologies e.g., AI and predatory apps, finding ways to protect users.
Underserved Users: Exploring the needs of underserved users e.g., majority world users, developing solutions that protect all users.

I publish at top venues in security and privacy (IEEE S&P, USENIX Security), human-computer interaction (CHI), and at the intersection of both (SOUPS). My research has been generously supported by a Google PhD Fellowship, the NSF, and the Stanford Internet Observatory, and has won multiple awards.