Dr Lisa Portolan is an academic and researcher from Sydney. Her PhD relates to dating apps and how intimacy is navigated and negotiated through the digital landscape. She is a casual academic at the University of Technology Sydney, examining new and emerging technologies and platforms like TikTok, and their impact on communication and intimacy. She has published several books, including Love, Intimacy and Online Dating: How a global pandemic redefined intimacy (Routledge, 2023), and is a regular guest on Australian television programs such as The Drum, The Project, the Today Show and Weekend Today. Her critical research focus is on the development of intimacy and meaningful connections, and she has a regular spot on 2ser Radio, Love life with Lisa. Dr Portolan writes for a number of publications including The Conversation. She has two children, a long-suffering dog Juno, and a long-suffering partner Gino. She had a top-ten podcast, Slow Love, where the key area of focus was sex, love, and intimacy during Covid-19 times.