Laurie Giddens

Laurie Giddens is an associate professor in the Information Technology and Decision Sciences Department in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business at the University of North Texas. Prior to earning her Ph.D. in Information Systems at Baylor University, she worked for ten years in the nonprofit sector in various information technology, management, and consulting roles. Her research is grounded in the area of information systems for social good, which examines how digital resources can be developed, deployed, and utilized to improve societal, environmental, and economic well-being. Specifically, her work examines how digital technologies can be leveraged to address critical societal challenges, including detecting and disrupting online exploitation (particularly human trafficking), building a sustainable and resilient IT workforce, and facilitating ethical consumption. Her research is published in journals such as the Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Information Systems Journal, Communications of the AIS, Computers & Security, and Marketing Intelligence & Planning, and has been presented at numerous international information systems conferences. She is a research scholar member of the Global Association of Human Trafficking Scholars. Additionally, her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the IBM Center for the Business of Government.

Google Scholar Page UNT Faculty Profile

Research Interests

• Information systems for societal and workforce well-being

• Human trafficking and forced labor

• Online exploitation and digital harms

• Sustainable and ethical consumption

Select Publications

• Giddens, L., Leidner, D., and Williams, C. K., (2026). “Facilitating Ethical Consumption Through Reflexive Engagement with Information Systems”. Journal of the Association for Information Systems.27(5), 1180-1205.

• Giddens, L., Gerhart, N., Torres, R., and Petter, S. (2025). “Nonconsensual Sexually Explicit Deepfakes: Moving Beyond Taboos and Barriers.” Communications of the Association for Information Systems,57(1).

• Giddens, L., Petter, S., and Fullilove, M. (2023). "Information Technology as a Resource to Counter Domestic Sex Trafficking in the United States.” Information Systems Journal. 33(1), 8-33.

• Petter, S., & Giddens, L. (2023). Is it Your Fault? Framing Social Media Inclusion and Exclusion Using Just World Theory. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 24(5), 1248–1270.