Pardis Emami-Naeini Announced as 2025 Norm Hardy Prize Winner for Advances in Usable Security

Pardis Emami-Naeini is the winner of the Foresight Institute’s 2025 Norm Hardy Prize. Emami-Naeini, director of Duke’s InSPIre Lab and an assistant professor of Computer Science, was recognized for developing a layered cybersecurity label for smart home devices.

Consumers increasingly purchase smart home technologies without a clear understanding of how their data is managed or protected. Emami-Naeini’s research shows that when security and privacy information is presented clearly and accessibly, people are more likely to make secure choices. Drawing on input from both experts and consumers, she developed an easy-to-read, layered cybersecurity label that highlights key protections, including security updates, authentication methods, and data-handling practices. Her work has helped shape national policy and industry standards, including the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, a new federal labeling initiative for connected devices.

Emami-Naeini’s research focuses on creating usable privacy and security solutions that empower individuals from diverse sociodemographic backgrounds to engage in safer, more informed interactions with technology. Her work has been featured by media outlets including Wired, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, and has influenced organizations such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Consumer Reports, and the World Economic Forum in their efforts to develop informative security and privacy labels for smart devices. She has also recently received a Google Machine Learning and Systems Award.

The Foresight Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing beneficial, high-impact technologies. As computer security becomes increasingly critical, the Norm Hardy Prize recognizes significant contributions to the field of usable security—defined as “work that helps users make wise decisions.” The prize, which includes a $10,000 award, honors the late computer scientist Norm Hardy, best known for identifying the confused deputy vulnerability. Hardy emphasized the importance of building inherently secure systems alongside interaction designs that enable users to operate those systems securely and intuitively.