Hana Frluckaj, PhD

she/they · Hah-nah Frl-yooch-kai

Incoming Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Virginia · Information Science & Human-Computer Interaction

My research focuses on open source software communities, particularly in terms of sustainability, equity, and participation. Leveraging qualitative and ethnographic methods, I explore the experiences of underrepresented developers, i.e., their career trajectories, participation within radical openness, and resistance to corporate exploitation.

I earned my Ph.D. in Information Studies from the University of Texas at Austin iSchool, advised by James Howison. Before that, I received my B.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University with a minor in Human-Computer Interaction.

At CMU's CoEx Lab I worked with Laura Dabbish and James Herbsleb on newcomer retention, gender differences in open source trajectories, and code-of-conduct governance.

hana.frluckaj@gmail.com Google Scholar → GitHub LinkedIn Bluesky

Updates

Spring 2026 Starting as a Postdoctoral Fellow — more details soon.
April 2026 Successfully defended my Ph.D. dissertation at UT Austin iSchool.
2024 Published a first-author paper on trans experiences in OSS in CSCW 2024.
2022 Published my first first-author paper on gendered OSS career trajectories in CSCW 2022.
2021 Co-authored paper on code-of-conduct conversations in open source software accepted to CSCW 2021.
August 2021 Began Ph.D. studies at the University of Texas at Austin School of Information.
May 2020 Graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a B.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Publications

CSCW 2024

Paradoxes of Openness: Trans Experiences in Open Source Software

Hana Frluckaj, Nikko Stevens, James Howison, Laura Dabbish

A study of the experiences of trans contributors in OSS, exploring the paradoxical effects of radical visibility/openness on participation and governance.

PDF ACM DL

CSCW 2022

Gender and Participation in Open Source Software Development

Hana Frluckaj, Laura Dabbish, David Gray Widder, Huilian Sophie Qui, James Herbsleb

A study of the career trajectories of men and women contributors, highlighting divergent motivations for entry and sustained participation in OSS.

PDF ACM DL

CSCW 2021

Code of Conduct Conversations in Open Source Software Projects on GitHub

Qiwei Li, Pavitthra Pandurangan, Hana Frluckaj, Laura Dabbish

A study of how open source communities on GitHub discuss, adopt, and invoke codes of conduct for governance — including the language, actors, and social dynamics that shape these conversations.

PDF ACM DL

In Progress

OSS Education: Insights from Instructors and Alumni

Hana Frluckaj, James Howison

From my dissertation, a study exploring OSS education - what motivates students, what challenges they face (particulary amongst underrepresented students), and how their OSS participation evolves past graduation.

In Progress

An OSS Panel Study

Hana Frluckaj, James Howison

From my dissertation, an ongoing longitudinal panel study that follows 20 underrepresented OSS contributors to uncover insights into a sustainable OSS work-life balance.

In Progress

The State of Diversity in OSS: A Meta-Review

Hana Frluckaj, Will Beason, Sherae Daniel, James Howison

An literature review of how axes of diversity shape the onboarding experience, retention, and trajectory of underrepresented contributors to open source software communities.