Lucy Pei

Community Power Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Southern California Dornsife Equity Research Institute

My research pursues ethical engagements between ethnographers and activists, especially in labor and community organizing. My dissertation project was focused on transnational labor solidarity among migrant gig workers. My work has also sought to unpack the promises of tech-for-good and the ethical imaginaries and practices of people making and receiving such promises across various contexts.

I have studied tech in labor organizing, humanitarian technology, corporate social responsibility projects in the tech sector, information and communication technology for development, and grassroots uses of apps and social media platforms. My research is published and in conversation with HCI, CSCW, and STS. I'm fortunate to have had my research funded by grants and fellowships from the NSF GRFP, Zonta International, ARCS, and the NSF DDRIG.

I earned my PhD in Informatics at the University of California, Irvine in June, 2025. While at UC Irvine, I was affiliated with the Evoke Lab, CREATE Lab, and LUCI Lab. My dissertation chair was Roderic Crooks.