Political theory · AI governance
Hello, I’m Joan!
I’m an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY). I primarily work on AI governance, focused on how institutional design can prevent loss of control and human disempowerment. I think AI is the most important problem facing humans today, and I think we need all hands on deck. If you would like to talk more, reach out.
I have a PhD in Political Science from Stanford University and an MPhil in Public Policy from the University of Cambridge. Previous teaching experiences include Harvard, Stanford, and Deep Springs College. Before turning to AI governance, I worked on the history of feminist political thought and in feminist legal philosophy.
AI governance
Whistleblower law
Whistleblowing at the intersection of AI and national security
I’m interested in making it possible for patriotic insiders to enable government oversight of the development and deployment of Natsec AI. Report with Jesselyn Radack forthcoming · Guide for national security contractors
Deskilling
Strategic resilience requires the targeted maintenance of human technical capacities
How do we motivate the government to protect human capabilities? One way is to point out the strategic implications of losing, or being surpassed on, key skills. I argue we need a Strategic Human Capacity Reserve (SHCR), and outline a research agenda for pursuing it.
TAIGR Workshop, ICML 2026 · Read the paper
Empirical
Government AI use as a monitoring primitive
Understanding how AI has disseminated through governments can help academics and policymakers plan for changes across a variety of domains. We trial Pangram as a monitoring primitive looking at the USA and PRC.
TAIGR Workshop, ICML 2026 · Read the paper
Teaching
Selected courses
The Governance of Artificial Intelligence
Harvard University, Spring 2026 · On 80,000 Hours’ list of recommended upskilling resources
Law, Justice, Order & Society in the Age of AI
John Jay College, Fall 2026
I love mentoring, so if you’re a former student, please do reach out. Colleagues are welcome to contact me for course design advice or feedback.
Feminist political theory
On Patriarchy: Origin Stories in Feminist Thought
Why are feminists so prone to schism? My dissertation uses an old tool in political theory—the origin story—to articulate how differences in diagnoses of the problem of patriarchy lead to differing proposed solutions. When those proposed solutions are not only distinct, but entirely opposite, we see wars.
About the project → · Read the dissertation
Sex, Technology, and the Law
Papers on consent, contract, and sexual media, including articles in Hypatia (2024) and Law & Philosophy (forthcoming).
Get in touch
For research collaborations, policy work, speaking, or course design.
