Science & Technology Policy Research and Leadership

Science and technology innovation is critical to a nation’s security, economic prosperity, and quality of life. My research in S&T policy investigates the domestic and international factors shaping the United States’ national technology strategy and its implications for retaining global leadership. I’m interested in understanding the diverse policy levers the United States can employ to strengthen its competitiveness in advanced S&T research and manufacturing, and how collaborations with industry and academia can support the application of technological innovations for the enhancement of the nation’s defense capabilities and overall economic and societal wellbeing.

I’ve been exploring topics at the intersection of emerging technologies and policy through various research projects and activities at Harvard and beyond, including as Researcher with the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Harvard Kennedy School) and as President of the Science Policy Group (Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences). I share my publications below.

I was recently selected as a 2024 Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Technology in Washington, D.C., where I will support the organization of cross-sectoral initiatives examining how emerging technologies can enhance health research and care, as well as how policymaking can further advance S&T innovation.

National Science and Technology Innovation Strategy

Unraveling the Political Dynamics Shaping the U.S. Strategy for Technology Leadership

Published with the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, 2024 (link, pdf)

Recent legislation like the CHIPS and Science Act has demonstrated broad bipartisan support for enhancing the United States’ leadership in advanced technologies such as semiconductors and AI. But will these efforts continue? And will they succeed?

We contend that persistent tensions between and within parties will continue to condition the success of the US technology leadership strategy for the foreseeable future. These include disagreements about:

whether to focus exclusively on national security objectives or to also address economic development and social policy goals;
whether to invest heavily in strengthening domestic productive capacity or simply slow geopolitical rivals’ progress; and
whether to fund early-stage research and development or invest in more advanced stages of technology development such as scale-up manufacturing.

Ultimately, a successful technology leadership strategy faces the major challenge of bridging entrenched ideological disagreements over the merits of industrial policy, and more broadly, of the proper role of government in the economy.

Published with the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs - Technology and Public Purpose Project, 2022 (link, pdf)

Social media content recommendation algorithms are receiving increased scrutiny due to their large influence over users’ online and offline experiences and mounting evidence of these algorithms’ downstream harms—from amplification of misinformation and harmful content to heightened mental health concerns. This primer provides a policy-oriented overview of social media recommendation algorithms, including how these algorithms work, relevant public purpose considerations, and the current regulatory landscape, with a focus on the United States.

Should Machines Be Allowed to “Read Our Minds”? Uses and Regulation of Biometric Techniques that Attempt to Infer Mental States

Published in MIT Science Policy Review, 2022 (DOI, pdf)

Biometric data, such as facial expressions, voice, and heart rate, are increasingly used to make inferences about individuals’ momentary emotional and cognitive states, like stress and fatigue, and for the categorization of more stable mental features, like intentions, preferences, and health status. Drawing from use cases in personal fitness and wellness tracking, clinical research, and the monitoring of students and workers, we show that although these techniques promise greater objectivity, efficiency, and accuracy in the assessment of mental states and related decision-making, scientific evidence for these claims remains limited. The widespread use of these techniques, especially outside of regulated research settings, poses important technical and ethical challenges—from the exposure of highly sensitive biometric data to breaches and exploitation, to privacy violations and the use of faulty inferences to make consequential judgments about individuals’ qualities. We review the strengths and limitations of current legislation in Europe and the United States related to biometric techniques, and present general considerations for regulation moving forward. We conclude that accessing the benefits of biometric techniques (e.g., for consensual clinical monitoring and care) while guarding against their harms may require rigorous scientific research, more precise and proactive legal protections, and sustained global cooperation.

The Ethics of Digitalisation – From Principles to Practices

Published by the Global Network of Internet and Society Centers, 2022 (link, pdf)

In 2021, I participated in the research sprint “Digital Self-Determination: Towards Autonomy and Agency in the Digital Age,” hosted by the Digital Asia Hub and the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. A cohort of 25 students and experts from a wide variety of disciplines and countries came together to explore and discuss the social, cultural, ethical, and technical challenges surrounding the increasing digitization and datafication of most aspects of society, including media, work, education, and healthcare. This document highlights the main outputs of this and similar research sprints around the world, which were part of a larger, two-year “Ethics of Digitalisation” project by the Global Network of Internet & Society Centers.

Research and Data Governance

Toward a Demand-Driven, Collaborative Data Agenda for Adolescent Mental Health

Published in Journal of Adolescent Health, 2022 (DOI, pdf)

This work—conducted with NYU’s The Governance Lab, UNICEF, and youth experts—introduces a collaborative methodology for the development of a strategic research agenda for adolescent mental health. This agenda aims to guide future data sharing and collection efforts to meet the most pressing data needs of key stakeholders working to promote adolescent mental health worldwide.

Constanza Vidal Bustamante