Adrienne Porter Felt

Education

Adrienne Porter Felt completed her PhD at the University of California, Berkeley in 2012, where her dissertation research focused on computer security on mobile devices. She worked under the supervision of David A. Wagner, a prominent figure in the security research community. A paper she published in 2011 on Android permissions security would later receive the ACM SIGSAC test-of-time award in 2022, recognizing its lasting influence on the field.

Career

Following her graduation, Porter Felt joined Google, where she became primarily associated with the security and user experience of Google Chrome. Her work at Google has been notable for its emphasis on making security features more intuitive and accessible to everyday users.

In 2014, she developed malware warnings in Chrome designed to be more understandable to general users — an effort to bridge the gap between technical security mechanisms and practical user comprehension. In 2016, she identified a usability problem with the Chrome HTTPS lock icon, observing that it more closely resembled a red purse than a lock to many users. She conducted a study to design a more intuitive replacement icon, and the resulting design was subsequently deployed to Chrome users worldwide.

This body of work earned her recognition from MIT Technology Review, which named her one of their "Innovators Under 35."

In 2018, Porter Felt also contributed to improvements to emoji rendering within Google Chrome, reflecting the breadth of her engineering involvement with the browser.

After serving as a Director of Engineering for the Chrome team, she transitioned to Google DeepMind, where she holds the role of Principal Engineer.

Personal Life

Porter Felt's father, Edward Porter Felt, was killed in the September 11 attacks. Through her father, she is a member of the Felt family descended from George Felt of Casco Bay. She serves on the Board of Directors for Second Harvest of Silicon Valley.