Master of Information Management & Systems
UC Berkeley School of Information
GPA: 3.94 | Fellowship recipient
2008–2010
Course focus: computer-mediated communication, UI/UX, sociology, digital narratives, law & policy
Bachelor of Commerce, IT Management
Toronto Metropolitan University
GPA: 3.33 | Full tuition scholarship
2001–2006
Course focus: information systems, multimedia, project management, marketing, electives in human sexuality
Stigmatized sexual identities; shame and social marginalization; digital embodiment; impacts of AI-generated sexual content; technology-mediated intimacy; sousveillance and coveillance; sextech; public policy and criminalization; harm reduction; mental health technologies; gamification, incentives, and prediction markets.
Pakrul, S. (2010). MeLo: The Meaningful Location. Master’s thesis (collaborative project). School of Information, University of California, Berkeley.
(Role: qualitative research, system design, and user experience)Townsend, R. J., & Pakrul, S. (2010). Foundation Drupal 7. Apress.Pakrul, S. (2009). Legal Implications of a Personal Information Store. Information Law and Policy, UC Berkeley.Pakrul, S. (2009). Is Lifelogging a Crime? Surveillance, Sousveillance, Coveillance, and Dataveillance, UC Berkeley.Pakrul, S. (2008). Life Log as Personal Narrative. Digital Narratives, UC Berkeley.Pakrul, S. (2008). The Value of Personal Transparency. Social Issues of Information, UC Berkeley.Pakrul, S. (2005). An Analysis of Proposed Bill C-12: Artistic Merit, Harm, & Overcriminalization in Canadian Child Pornography Law. The Politics of Sexual Diversity, Toronto Metropolitan University.
Pakrul, S. (2015). A Psychospiritual Emergency. Medium. (Front-page feature.)Pakrul, S. (2016). Articles on Building a Personal Chatbot with Artificial Intelligence Markup Language (AIML). Medium.
Aspen Institute
Tech Policy Primer
Focus: emerging technology governance, digital rights, platform regulation, and social impact.
2022
Unicode Consortium
Individual Member
2019–21, 2025
Founder & Editor, Not A Victim — Collaborative essays on shame, sexuality, and stigma (Medium).Co-host & Presenter, Quantified Self Meetups (2009–2010).Member, SchoolNet Youth Advisory Board, Government of Canada (2000).
Sexuality, Embodiment & Digital Intimacy
Founder of sex-positive digital communities (2000–present); highly interactive webcam-based platform (40k+ monthly visitors)
Sexual identity formation under conditions of visibility and surveillance
Sexy Selfie School (educational video series)
Engagement with first-person narratives on sexuality, shame, and social marginalization
Tangible Computing & SexTech
Creation of a wearable belly-dancer drum machine (gesture-based, embodied musical interface)
Early adoption and integration of Bitcoin payments in adult performance contexts
Applied research into sexual digital autonomy and payment system constraints on self-expression
DIY hardware/software systems bridging maker culture, co-created performance, and sexual embodiment
Digital Identity, Transparency & Platforms
Early experimentation with lifelogging, vlogging, and continuous self-documentation
Design of participatory digital identity systems and personal platforms
Early conceptual work on AI-mediated personal agents derived from life and behavioral data
Privacy, anonymity, pseudonymity, and identity persistence in online environments
Public interpretation, social reward, and reputational risk of self-disclosure in attention economies
NotACon Hacker Conference (2005). “‘Show Me Your Boobs!’ and Other Subtleties of Building a Highly Interactive Personal Community.” Cleveland, OH.Invited speaker, DrupalCon & DrupalCamp events — Talks on Drupal theming, community design, and open source development (c. 2008–2012).
MTV Canada
TechTV (recurring)
Young Entrepreneur magazine
CamGirls documentary (featured)
CosmoGirl magazine
Resident Manager
20mish, San Francisco
– Community leadership for 40-resident co-living space
– Operations, conflict mediation, cultural stewardship
2021–present
Founder & Director
Web Solutions / TopNotchThemes
– Designed & built custom web platforms focusing on free open source software
– Managed projects, business development, and a distributed team of six
1998–2014
Peer Support Specialist — CCSF
Abnormal Psychology Specialization — Wesleyan University (Coursera)
The Psychology of Gender and Sexuality — University of Pittsburgh (Coursera)
Responsible AI for Mental Health — University of Toronto (Coursera)
The Science of Mind & Decision Making — University of Michigan (Coursera)
Ethics of Psychological Research — University of California, Irvine (Coursera)
Major Depression in the Population: A Public Health Approach — Johns Hopkins University (Coursera)
Using Public Policy for Social Change — University of Michigan (Coursera)
Qualitative and interpretive research (narrative and discourse analysis)
Critical analysis of stigma, moral regulation, and social marginalization
Policy and legal review related to sexuality, technology, and criminalization
Digital ethnography and research in online communities
Platform, identity, and attention economy analysis
Ethical analysis of privacy, visibility, and digital harm