Dr. Jessica Szczuka is a researcher at the intersection of technology and psychology, Head of INTITEC (Intimacy with and through Technology), and Junior Research Group Leader at the Department of Social Psychology: Media and Communication, University of Duisburg-Essen / Research Center Trustworthy Data Science and Security (Universitätsallianz Ruhr). For over a decade, she has conducted empirical research on digital intimacy, human-AI interaction, and affective technologies, advancing an evidence-based understanding of how technology shapes our closest relationships. Her key research areas include close relationships with AI conversational agents, authenticity and emotional closeness in AI-mediated communication, opportunities and challenges of digital intimacy for people with disabilities, artificial sexual stimuli and the prevention of sexual violence, and privacy. As Principal Investigator of SENTIMENT (project-sentiment.org), she brings together psychology, AI, law, and the arts to unpack how privacy, trust, and emotional authenticity unfold in human-AI interactions. Dr. Szczuka is passionate about destigmatizing research on digitized intimacy and ensuring that ethical reflection keeps pace with technological innovation, always bridging disciplines, asking bold questions, and generating insights that inform responsible innovation.