Leading expert to examine AI and society at NU-Q’s spring 2026 Dean’s Global Forum

Doha, Qatar: Northwestern University in Qatar will welcome Alondra Nelson, Harold F Linder Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced S...

Doha, Qatar: Northwestern University in Qatar will welcome Alondra Nelson, Harold F Linder Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study, for the spring 2026 edition of the Dean’s Global Forum, taking place on January 13, 2026, at the Events Hall on campus.

 In a community conversation with Dean and CEO Marwan M Kraidy, Nelson will join a conversation titled, “AI: Purpose, Governance, and Public Benefit,” examining how artificial intelligence is shaped by—and, in turn, shapes—the social and political life of science and technology. Drawing on her academic research and public service, the discussion will focus on how AI is designed, governed, and used, and how questions of public benefit inform its role in contemporary society.

“At a moment when developments in science and technology are profoundly altering how people live, work, and communicate, this conversation could not be timelier,” said dean and CEO of Northwestern Qatar, Marwan M. Kraidy.

“Alondra Nelson brings rare depth and breadth as a distinguished scholar, a noted leader, and a public servant who has worked at the highest levels of science and technology policy. Professor Nelson’s work speaks directly to questions central to our community: the ethics and politics of knowledge production and the imperative to keep innovation, including in AI, focused on human thriving and dignity.”

Nelson is a longtime leading scholar of race, science, and technology and a major academic and policy voice on AI, with an extensive academic and leadership background. As the Harold F Linder Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study, she founded and leads the Science, Technology, and Social Values Lab. Her research examines the social and political life of science and technology in society.