About the IAPP

Katy Felkner (she/her) is a fifth-year PhD candidate at USC Information Sciences Institute. Her research focuses on fairness and bias in large language models, with a particular emphasis on benchmark development, community-engaged methods, and LGBTQ+ issues in generative AI. She is supported by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP) and advised by Jon May. Before USC, Katy graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oklahoma with dual bachelor’s degrees in computer science and letters (general humanities). After grad school, her goal is to be a professor of computer science, advancing research in AI ethics and fairness while serving as a visible role model and mentor to women and LGBTQ+ students in computer science.