Renowned Expert in Adversarial Online Abuse Joins McCourt School Research Faculty

The McCourt School of Public Policy's Tech & Public Policy program (TPP) and Massive Data Institute (MDI) appointed Renée DiResta, online manipulation expert and author of Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality, to the position of associate research professor. DiResta is the former research director at the Stanford University Internet Observatory, which studies abuse of online social media platforms. While at Stanford, she helped lead a project focused on election disinformation stemming from the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

"We are delighted to welcome Renée to the McCourt School. She brings a wealth of experience and perspective that will strengthen Georgetown's work on adversarial abuse online, and inform policymakers' efforts to address related challenges," said McCourt School Dean Maria Cancian.

DiResta's research with TPP and MDI will encompass topics such as online disinformation, propaganda and election integrity, among other subject areas. DiResta will also be involved in TPP's partnership with MeWe, a privacy-first social media platform.

"MDI is committed to researching different types of online information pollution. We are excited that Renée will be leading new research in this space, helping us not only identify abuses taking place online but also developing strategies to reduce it," said Massive Data Institute Director Lisa Singh.

DiResta is a contributor to The Atlantic. Her writing and work has also appeared in outlets such as Wired, Foreign Affairs, Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, POLITICO and Slate, as well as multiple academic journals. DiResta is also a national security fellow at the Truman National Security Project, a 2017 presidential leadership scholar, a 2019 Emerson fellow and a 2019 Mozilla Foundation fellow. She is the recipient of the 2024 Carl Sagan Prize.

"Renée has done incredibly impactful work examining the ways in which people harness new technologies to manipulate, target and influence others," said Tech & Public Policy Director Michelle De Mooy. "We are lucky to have her as part of the TPP community, where she will help deepen our commitment to advancing thoughtful and evidence-based research that informs policymakers, supports future leaders and protects democratic values."

On October 15, the McCourt School's Tech & Public Policy program will host a book talk in recognition of DiResta's new book, Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality. All members of the Georgetown University community are invited to register here .