Oliver L. Haimson, Ph.D.

I am an Assistant Professor at University of Michigan School of Information (UMSI) where I direct the Community Research on Identity and Technology (CRIT) Lab, and author of Trans Technologies (MIT Press, 2025). I am also affiliate faculty with the Digital Studies Institute (DSI) and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Applied Transgender Studies (CATS). I conduct social computing research focused on envisioning and designing trans technologies, social media content moderation and marginalized populations, and changing identities on social media during life transitions. Much of my research has focused on transgender identities and experiences online and with social technologies. I am a recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER award, a Henry Russel Award, and multiple Best Paper and Honorable Mention awards at CHI and CSCW.

I earned my Ph.D. in Information and Computer Science in 2018 from the Informatics Department at University of California, Irvine’s Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, where I worked with Gillian Hayes. I received my M.S. in Information and Computer Science from UCI Informatics, and my B.S. in Economics at Carnegie Mellon University. I also participated in the iSchool Inclusion Institute (i3). Prior to becoming an academic, I founded and managed independent bookstores for a number of years. I also toured and recorded as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter in several rock bands. I am a big fan of most animals, including cats and dogs.

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Some of the groups and centers I am affiliated with: