our team

Joan Donovan, PhD is the Research Director of the Shorenstein Center and the director of the Technology and Social Change (TaSC) research project. Dr. Donovan leads the field in examining media manipulation and disinformation campaigns. Her research specializes in Critical Internet Studies, Science and Technology Studies, and the Sociology of Social Movements.

Emily Dreyfuss is a Senior Editor at the Shorenstein Center, a former editorial director at Protocol and a senior editor at WIRED. She is known for her work on technology and society, with a focus on social media and national affairs.

Robert Faris is a Senior Researcher at the Shorenstein Center. He studies digital communication and the influence of networked digital technologies on democracy and governance. His current research focuses on health and political communication, and the application of computational social science methods and tools to the study of media ecosystems.

Nancy Gibbs is the Director of the Shorenstein Center and the Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice of Press, Politics and Public Policy. Until September 2017, she was the Editor-in-Chief of TIME magazine, directing news and feature coverage across all platforms for more than 65 million readers worldwide, as well as Editorial Director of the Time Inc. News Group. Gibbs was named TIME’s 17th editor in September 2013, the first woman to hold the position, and remains an Editor at Large.

Megan O’Neil is the Project Manager for the Technology and Social Change Project at Harvard’s Shorenstein Center and holds a Master of Liberal Arts degree in Government. She previously served as the Senior Program Coordinator of the Berkman Klein Center and as a Faculty Assistant at Harvard Law School.

Lauren Faz is the Project Assistant for the Technology and Social Change Project at Harvard’s Shorenstein Center, and is currently a candidate for a Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) degree in English at the Harvard Extension School. She previously served as a Faculty Assistant at Harvard Law School.

Jazilah Salam is a Research Assistant for the Technology and Social Change project at the Shorenstein Center. Her research interests lie at the intersection of freedom of expression, privacy, and content moderation. In addition to her role at TaSC, Jazilah also works with PEN America’s Digital Safety and Free Expressions program, working with social media platforms and newsrooms to protect journalists from online abuse.

Brandi Collins-Dexter is the Associate Director of the Technology and Social Change Project and the author of Black Skinhead: Reflections on Blackness and Our Political Future. She previously served as the Senior Campaign Director at Color Of Change, where she oversaw the media, culture, and economic justice departments.

Eesha is a Research Fellow with the Technology and Social Change Project at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center. She previously served as a Senior Campaign Researcher at Color of Change.

Jenna Ruddock is a Research Fellow with the Technology and Social Change Project at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center. She is also a documentary photographer and producer based in Washington, D.C.