Sign In

Kate Starbird

Associate Professor at University of Washington. Co-founder and Director of the UW Center for an Informed Public.

Kate Starbird is a professor in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) at the University of Washington and the current faculty director of the Center for an Informed Public (CIP).35 She is a co-founder of the CIP, which was established in 2019 with a mission to resist strategic misinformation, promote an informed society, and strengthen democratic discourse.5

Starbird's research focuses on human-computer interaction (HCI) and crisis informatics, studying how people use social media and other information-communication technologies during crisis events.12 Her work has evolved to examine the spread of online rumors, misinformation, and disinformation during crises, elections, and breaking news events.3

Career Highlights:

  1. Academic Career: Starbird earned her PhD from the University of Colorado at Boulder in Technology, Media and Society (2012) and holds a BS in Computer Science from Stanford University (1997).12

  2. Professional Basketball: Before her academic career, Starbird was a professional basketball player in the American Basketball League (ABL) and WNBA, playing for teams including the Seattle Reign, Sacramento Monarchs, and Seattle Storm.46

  3. Research Impact: Starbird was among the first researchers to identify patterns of misinformation and disinformation online through her analysis of social media data in 2014.3

  4. Awards: In 2024, Starbird received the University of Washington's Faculty Lecture Award and the SIGCHI Societal Impact Award for her work in addressing social issues through human-computer interaction.3

Starbird's work at the CIP involves developing methods for conducting rapid research to help resolve rumors as they unfold and investigating the participatory nature of disinformation campaigns.3 Her research contributes to broader questions about the intersection of technology and society, exploring both the potential for online social platforms to empower people and the concerns related to manipulation and erosion of trust in information.5

Highlights

Jan 25 · cip.uw.edu
Cullen White joins CIP as director of strategy and operations
Dec 16 · cip.uw.edu
People - University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public
Kate Starbird - Human Centered Design & Engineering
Jun 13 · cip.uw.edu
CIP's Kate Starbird honored with two prestigious awards for public ...
CIP's Kate Starbird honored with two prestigious awards for public ...
Feb 16 · seattlemag.com
Most Influential, Education: Kate Starbird - Seattle magazine
Nov 3 · reignfc.com
OL Reign Legend: Kate Starbird – Former Professional Basketball ...
Nov 29 · cip.uw.edu
HCDE associate professor Kate Starbird discusses CIP's priorities ...
HCDE associate professor Kate Starbird discusses CIP's priorities ...
Oct 7 · cip.uw.edu
Looking back on the CIP's early accomplishments and work ahead ...
Looking back on the CIP's early accomplishments and work ahead ...

Related Questions

What are Kate Starbird's main research interests?
How did Kate Starbird become involved in the Center for an Informed Public?
What are some of the significant achievements of the Center for an Informed Public under Kate Starbird's direction?
How does Kate Starbird's background in human-computer interaction influence her work at the CIP?
What challenges does Kate Starbird face in combating misinformation?
Kate Starbird
Kate Starbird, photo 1
Kate Starbird, photo 2
Add to my network

Location

Seattle, Washington, United States