Meet The Team
J.P. Singh
J.P. (Principal Investigator) is Distinguished University Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Advancing Human-Machine Partnership at George Mason University. He is also Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow with the Robert Bosch Academy, Berlin. He works at the intersection of technology, culture and political economy in global contexts examining transformative impacts from provision of telephone service in poor countries, to the use of AI in global value chains in cutting-edge industries. J.P. has consulted or advised international organizations such as the British Council, UNESCO, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization, and conducted field research in 36 countries. His current book project explores AI and innovation in Germany, India, and the United States. A winner of numerous research awards and fellowships, he has written 10 books and over 100 scholarly articles.
Key Skills: Political economy of AI in comparative contexts
Superpower: "Jugaad" (a colloquial South Asian term, referring to problem-solving innovation, often termed a "hack")
Michael A. Hunzeker
Michael A. Hunzeker is an associate professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, the associate director of the Schar School’s Center for Security Policy Studies, and a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. A former Marine Corps officer, he works on conventional deterrence, defense reform, and organizational learning.
Key skills: International security and national defense
Superpower: The intellectual humility that comes with middle age.
Jesse L Kirkpatrick
Jesse Kirkpatrick is a Research Associate Professor and the Acting Director of the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy at George Mason University. He is also an International Security Fellow at New America and serves as a consultant for numerous organizations. His research is interdisciplinary, cutting across such fields as Philosophy, Political Science, Public Policy, and the Life and Computer Sciences. At its core, it aims to explore two central, interrelated themes: (1) how a suite of technologies, singularly and in convergence, impact peace and security, and (2) what the ethical, social, and policy implications of these impacts may be.
Key Skills: Peace and security, with an emphasis on technology.
Superpower: The ability to conjure the sound of dial-up internet while playing on a Commodore 64.
Caroline Wesson
Caroline Wesson (Project Manager) is a PhD student and Presidential Scholar studying Political Science at George Mason University. She is currently working on her dissertation which focuses on innovation policy, specifically innovation clusters around the globe. Caroline holds a B.S. and M.S. in International Affairs from the Georgia Institute of Technology and has worked in research positions at the RAND Corporation and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Key Skills: Organizational skills and knowledge about national innovation systems
Superpower: Her can-do attitude and eagerness to learn something new every day!
William "Webby" Applegate
Webby Applegate is an MA student in Philosophy at George Mason University and a Graduate Research Assistant for the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy. His research is mainly focused around two questions: how to make good decisions; and how to run a country well. Webby holds a BA in Philosophy and a minor in Economics from Wittenberg University. In addition to his research position, William has experience in multiple startup companies and is currently working on his thesis on philosophy and uncertainty.
Key Skills: Critical thinking and ability to learn quickly. Ability to make new and meaningful connections across subject matter and topic.
Superpower: Focus on progress over perfection and willingness to fail.
Amarda Shehu
Amarda (Co-Principal Investigator) is a Professor of Computer Science and Associate Vice President of Research for the Institute of Digital InnovAtion. During 2019-2022, Amarda co-directed the Transdisciplinary Center for Advancing Human-Machine Partnerships and served as an NSF Program Director in the CISE Directorate.
Amarda considers herself an interdisciplinary scientist. Her research record includes foundational advances in AI, Machine Learning, and Algorithmics, and purposeful research that pushes the barriers of our understanding of the physical world. Amarda has a galvanizing view of computing and relentless energy and advocacy for the advancement of knowledge across scientific disciplines and the improvement of the human condition.
Key Skills: Broad knowledge on Old/Classic and New/Deep AI.
Superpower: Brings a cheerful spirit and "AI zen" to the team.
Antonios Anastasopoulos
Antonis Anastasopoulos is an assistant professor at George Mason University's Computer Science Department. He is interested in various aspects of multilingual Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning, with a main focus on Machine Translation and Speech Recognition for endangered languages and low-resource settings in general.
Key skills: Natural Language Processing, Machine Translation
Superpower: Passion for saving endangered languages
Vasilii Nosov
Vasilii Nosov is a PhD in Public Policy student at Schar School and a Graduate Research Assistant at the Center for Advancing Human-Machine Partnership. His research interests lie in the intersection of economics, international relations, and institutional and technological transfer. Vasilii holds a Master of Science degree in Economics from Tufts University.
Key Skills: analytical way of thinking and international experience.
Superpower: polyglot striving to acquire new knowledge.
Manpriya Dua
Manpriya Dua is a PhD student in the Department of Computer Science at George Mason University. Her research centers Machine Learning, focusing on Deep Learning architectures for Natural Language Processing (NLP). She holds a Master's in Science degree in Computer Science from George Mason University, and has worked with Palo Alto Research Center on a DARPA project investigating the use of NLP methods for military defense strategy.
Key Skills: Machine Learning knowledge and experience, with a focus on NLP
Superpower: Her positive attitude and problem solving skills.