• Hi, I’m Chris! Until the fall of 2025 I led a team of user researchers and data analysts at TikTok in the United States Data Security (USDS) division, supporting product strategy and user research across 10+ product pillars — including AI, Monetization, Search, User Growth, Creators, Content Ecosystem, and more — while also providing oversight and protection of U.S. user data. I thrive in navigating the ambiguity of 0-1 product spaces, where I help define new opportunities and drive impactful solutions.

About

A snapshot of my career — from studying how the brain makes sense of the world to helping teams at Microsoft, Meta, and TikTok design products grounded in data, research, and real human needs.

  • At TikTok, I helped shape innovative experiences that empower creators and users, inspiring creativity and bringing joy while ensuring users remain safe and in control of their experiences. My work focused on understanding user behaviors and attitudes to design products that protect user data and align with TikTok's mission to foster creativity and joy.

  • Before TikTok, I was a Senior UX Researcher at Meta, where I conducted research in the Remote Presence division of Messenger & Instagram, helping teams create products that make people feel more connected even when apart.

  • Prior to Meta, I also spent time as a visiting Research Scientist at Microsoft Research, focusing on human-computer interaction in spatial computing technologies, including Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) where I led research that explored limits of how immersive technologies can transform user experiences and interactions in both virtual and physical spaces.

  • I also served as a Research Scientist at Caltech, where I researched the plasticity of human perceptual systems, particularly in visually impaired individuals. My work at Caltech focused on developing non-invasive assistive technologies that harness the brain's adaptability to enable the blind to “see” using their other senses. This research is a foundational precursor to technological developments like Neuralink and other related Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology.

  • I hold a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and an M.A. in Experimental Psychology, where I used various quantitative methods and qualitative methods to explore how the brain constructs our sense of reality.