Daniel Eric Malmer

CHAPEL HILL – Daniel Eric Malmer, 55, of Chapel Hill, passed away peacefully on May 13th, 2026, after being diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a rare and incurable neurological condition. Dan spent his career building software in Silicon Valley before returning to study online extremism and radicalization. He was a social activist, mentor, and devoted husband.

Dan grew up in Kankakee, Illinois. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1992 and his Master of Science in Computer Science from Standford University in 1996.

Dan began his career at Netscape Communications Corporation as the first college hire. He later co-founded Toltec Engineering, a consulting company, and worked and consulted at various early-stage startups, including One Kings Lane, Simply Hired, and Blendoor.

In 2021, Dan enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to obtain his PhD in Media and Communication. His research focused on computational and quantitative methods such as network analysis and natural language processing. His areas of interest included misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories; hate speech; and radicalization and extremism.

Outside of his professional and academic life, Dan was a lifelong learner with wide-ranging interests. He loved baseball, basketball, and poker. He was fond of close-up magic and film noir, drawn to stories about the stuff that dreams are made of. He and his wife, Florence, shared a passion for animals and travel, with London holding a special place in their hearts.

He is survived by his loving wife, Florence Yeun; and his mother, Valerie Bowman, his sister, Kara Rivera, and his stepfather, John Bowman, all of Auburn, CA; as well as many beloved family members and friends.

Memorial plans are forthcoming and will be announced at a later date.

The family asks you to consider supporting Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease research through one of these organizations:

• CJD Foundation, the leading U.S. nonprofit dedication to supporting CJD patients and families, funding research, and advancing awareness.
• National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center, Case Western Reserve University.
• CJD Research and Care at University of California, San Franscico.
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The family of Dan Malmer is under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service of Durham, North Carolina.