Cranor Receives 2026 ACM SIGCHI Lifetime Research Award
By Michael Cunningham
Lorrie Cranor, director of Carnegie Mellon University’s CyLab Security and Privacy Institute and the Fore Systems University Professor in the Software and Societal Systems Department, has been named a recipient of the 2026 ACM SIGCHI Lifetime Research Award, one of the highest honors in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI).
The award, presented by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)'s Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (SIGCHI), recognizes individuals for “outstanding contributions to the study of human-computer interaction,” and honors a lifetime of innovation, leadership, and influence in the field. Cranor shares this year’s recognition with Joseph A. Konstan of the University of Minnesota.
“We are excited to announce this year’s ACM SIGCHI awardees, academy inductees and Special Recognition recipients,” said Kentaro Toyama, ACM SIGCHI adjunct chair for awards. “The distinctions highlight remarkable achievements in scholarship, service, mentorship and impact.”
Cranor is internationally recognized for pioneering research at the intersection of privacy, security and human-computer interaction. Over the course of her career, she has helped define the field of usable privacy and security, demonstrating that technical protections are only effective when they are understandable and usable by real people. Her work has influenced the design of privacy notices, security warnings, password and authentication systems, and consumer privacy tools used by millions.
“The research I’m being recognized for is not just mine. I would not have been able to accomplish most of this without the wonderful students and colleagues with whom I’ve been privileged to collaborate,” Cranor said.
The SIGCHI Lifetime Research Award honors cumulative contributions, influence on the work of others, development of new research directions, and active engagement in the SIGCHI community. Cranor’s scholarship has not only advanced foundational knowledge in HCI, privacy and security, but has also shaped public policy, industry practices and interdisciplinary research worldwide. Through her leadership at CyLab and mentorship of Ph.D. students, she has helped to educate generations of researchers and practitioners.
“We are delighted that Dr. Cranor's accomplishments and contributions to HCI have been recognized with this singular honor, which has been awarded to only 34 people throughout the world,” said Brad Myers, Charles M. Geschke director of CMU's Human Computer Interaction Institute, where Cranor has an affiliate appointment. “She joins five other current and former faculty of the HCII who have won this award.”
“This fantastic honor is a testament to the genuinely transformative nature of Lorrie's work in the field of human-computer interaction,” said Nicolas Christin, department head and professor at CMU’s Software and Societal Systems Department. “We couldn't be prouder of counting her among our faculty.”
“Lorrie Cranor’s impact on human-computer interaction is profound and far-reaching,” said Joseph DeCarolis, department head and professor at CMU's Department of Engineering and Public Policy. “This award reflects not only the depth of her scholarship, but the way her work has fundamentally shaped the field and influenced countless researchers. We are immensely proud to celebrate this well-deserved honor.”
As part of the award, Cranor will receive a $5,000 honorarium, deliver an invited talk at the ACM CHI 2026 conference April 13-17 in Barcelona, and receive a lifetime invitation to the annual SIGCHI awards banquet.