Widely known for her research at the intersection of science, technology, and politics, Alondra Nelson holds the Harold F. Linder Chair in the School of Social Science. Past president of the Social Science Research Council, she was professor of sociology at Columbia University, and also served as the inaugural Dean of Social Science. As Dean, she led the first strategic planning process for the social sciences at Columbia, working with faculty to envision and set long-term research priorities. Nelson began her academic career on the faculty of Yale University, where she received the Poorvu Award for Interdisciplinary Teaching Excellence.
American professor Alondra Nelson also works as a writer, policy advisor, and administrator for nonprofits. At Princeton, New Jersey’s Institute for Advanced Study, an independent research organization, she holds the Harold F. Linder chair and is a professor in the School of Social Science. Nelson served as President Joe Biden’s deputy assistant in 2021–2023 and as the primary deputy director for science and society at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). From February to October 2022, Nelson carried out the director’s responsibilities in this capacity. She was the first woman of color and African American to head OSTP. She was president and CEO of the Social Science Research Council, an independent, nonpartisan worldwide nonprofit organization, for four years before to joining the Biden Administration. Nelson formerly held the positions of head of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender and first Dean of Social Science at Columbia University, where she taught sociology. She joined the Yale University faculty to start her academic career.
Nelson frequently publishes and speaks about the connections between social injustice, science, technology, and medicine. The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation after the Genome is the most recent book that she has written or edited. She has also written essays, articles, and four other books.
2023
Alondra Nelson has been appointed as the US delegate to the UN High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence. An important milestone in the U.N.’s attempts to address concerns with the international regulation of artificial intelligence is the creation of the new AI Advisory Body. It will promote a worldwide inclusive strategy that unites professionals from academia, industry, government, and research communities.
The Body’s immediate goals include fostering international collaboration on AI governance, assisting in the harnessing of AI for human benefit, and establishing a worldwide scientific agreement on the risks and problems associated with AI. The Body will assist in bridging various ongoing and upcoming projects related to AI governance. By the end of 2023, preliminary recommendations will be released, and by the summer of 2024, final recommendations will be made, in time for the Summit of the Future. The Body’s inaugural meeting is scheduled on October 27, 2023.
The @Innocence Project has championed the use of robust science and technology to guard our liberties and reverse injustice. I’m deeply appreciative of the unflagging heroism of the IP team–and it's extraordinary leader @ChristinaSwarns–and excited to join the mission. https://t.co/qk3SRthVDW
Honored to be among those recognized for their contribution to science in the public interest tonight by @FAScientists. While I can’t be present at tonight’s festivities, I send my congratulations to this illustrious group, and a warm hello to MC @Karaswisher. #FASAwardspic.twitter.com/xAyNJIfxpU
Sarah Soule, Sara Miller McCune Director of CASBS; Woody Powell, fmr Sara Miller McCune Interim Director of CASBS; awardees Elizabeth Anderson & @alondra Nelson; Blaise Simqu, CEO of Sage
