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Dr. Elisabeth Sylvan’s lifelong interest is in sociotechnical systems that support creativity, shared knowledge, and learning. Thematically, her work focuses on emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality, particularly as these intersect with data empowerment, technological ethics, digital identity, and the formal and informal education sector and edtech sectors.

Currently she serves as Senior Fellow at ITS Rio, Visiting Lecturer in the School of Engineering at Brown University, Lecturer in the School of Politics and Public Policy at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and Senior Director at the Secretariat of the Global Network of Internet & Society Research Centers (NoC). At Brown she works on design engineering education and museum integration efforts. With the NoC and ITS Rio, she works on advising governments and other initiatives related to AI's social impacts and leads the NoC Museum Project. At TUM she teaches “Critical Thinking in the Time of Generative AI” and is a member of the Global Tech Policy Practice, an advisor to the AIEdtech Ethics project, and an expert in the Frontiers in Digital Child Safety Working Group.  

From 2019-2024, Dr. Sylvan served in executive leadership at BKC, where her portfolio included leading in-person and hybrid educational programs including the BKC Research Sprints (link:https://cyber.harvard.edu/programs/research-sprints) the Summer Institute (link:https://cyber.harvard.edu/programs/summer-institute) and other student engagement initiatives, designing dialogue and co-creation spaces for leading scholars, technologists, and decision-makers in the public and private sectors, developing technology ethics programs, and building capacity for technology ethics policy and practice across the globe. She co-lead the Policy Practice (link:https://cyber.harvard.edu/programs/bkc-policy-practice-artificial-intelligence) and the Co-designing Generative Futures (link:https://cyber.harvard.edu/projects/co-designing-generative-futures) initiative and represented BKC with both the Global Network of Internet & Society Research Centers (link:https://cyber.harvard.edu/research/network_of_centers) and the International Network for Digital Self Determination (link:https://cyber.harvard.edu/projects/international-digital-self-determination-network). She advised governments and worked in Youth and Media.

Before joining BKC, Dr. Sylvan worked for herself and for multiple nonprofits. She was the Vice President of Education at The Tech Interactive in Silicon Valley, Maker in Residence at the Krause Center for Innovation at Foothill College, Fellow and Director of Learning and Community at Manylabs and a Researcher Scientist and Project Director at the education R&D nonprofit, TERC.

Dr. Sylvan's work has been supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Omidyar Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Mercator Foundation, and the Research Council of Norway, among others. She is a member of the World Economic Forum Digital Identity Initiative Impact Working Group, a member of the OECD Expert Stakeholders on Digital Identity Group, an associate editor of the Critical AI journal, and a reviewer for multiple conferences including Interaction Design for Children (IDC), International Conference on the Learning Sciences, Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, Creativity & Cognition, Internet Research (IR) conference, Computer Human Interaction (CHI), among others. She was also a fellow with International Society for Design and Development in Education (2011) and served on the advisory boards of the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, the Krause Center for Innovation at Foothill College, zSpace, and the Stanford d-school Build Lab. She is a longstanding member of BKC's Tech through Spec working group.

Dr. Sylvan’s M.S. and Ph.D. are from the MIT Media Lab where her work addressed how sociotechnical systems support shared knowledge and group action. There, Dr. Sylvan received fellowships from Highlands and Islands (of Scotland) (2005-2006) and Media Lab Europe (2003-2004.)


Projects & Tools

Network of Interdisciplinary Internet & Society Research Centers

A collaborative initiative focused on interdisciplinary research on the development, social impact, policy implications, and legal issues concerning the Internet.

Youth and Media

Youth and Media (YaM) encompasses an array of research, advocacy, and development initiatives around youth (age 12-18) and digital technology.

Advising Governments

Through this project we assist - in the public-interest - people working in governments across the globe in dealing with pressing challenges related to innovative digital…

Alternative Data Futures: Cooperative Principles, Data Trusts, and the Digital Economy

The New School's Platform Cooperativism Consortium and the Berkman Klein Center ran a Research Sprint to explore new pathways for democratic governance of collective data.

Past

Digital Ethics in Times of Crisis: COVID-19 & Access to Education and Learning Spaces

A global research sprint explores digital transformation at a pivotal moment in time

Digital Identity

Exploring the ethical and human rights considerations of digital identity.

Digital Self-Determination Research Sprint

From March to May 2021, we co-hosted a virtual program that convened 25 student participants from 21 countries spread over six continents.

Exploring Urban Sustainability with Open City Data

For eight weeks in early 2024, twenty students from Harvard University and the Master of Arts in Design Engineering program at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of…

Past

Metaverse: Centering Inclusion

Bringing together experts from various sectors, conducing research to inform decision-making, and contributing to the development of a metaverse with thoughtful values and…

Research Sprint on Takedowns and Transparency with Lumen

Sprint participants worked with members of the Lumen Database team and Berkman Klein Center staff, as well as outside experts to tackle pressing issues concerning online…

Past

Web Integrity Project

The Web Integrity Project (WIP) monitors changes to government websites

AI: Policy Research Clinic with the City of Helsinki

During the summer of 2021, the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society collaborated with the City of Helsinki’s Education Division and their subcontractor, Saidot, to explore…

Co-Designing Generative Futures

As generative AI technologies have advanced, so too has their potential to transform how people worldwide create, think, work, learn, problem solve, and govern. Given these far…

International Digital Self-Determination Network

BKC is a founding partner in an international network that is defining the concept of digital self-determination and working to ensure that people everywhere are legally, socially…

Policy Practice

The Policy Practice is a public interest-oriented program that helps governmental, nonprofit, and private sector organizations implement best practices and turn principles into…

The Ethics of Digitalization

Led by the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), the Berkman Klein Center, and the Digital Asia Hub, and in collaboration with the Global Network of…


News

News
Jun 13, 2024

Global AI Regulation: Protecting Rights; Leveraging Collaboration

Policy experts from Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America outlined next steps for global AI regimes and networked capacity building

BKC Senior Director of Programs and Strategy Lis Sylvan summarizes the Global Network of Internet and Society Research Center's spring learning call, which gathered experts on the…

May 31, 2023

Exploring the Impacts of Generative AI on the Future of Teaching and Learning

In December 2022, researchers from BKC, OpenAI, and Khan Academy and other experts gathered to discuss the impacts of generative AI on teaching and learning.

Mar 30, 2023

Digital Identity During Times of Crisis

What We Learned During the Fall 2022 Research Sprint

BKC hosted a 10-week Research Sprint from October to December 2022 investigating Digital Identity in Times of Crisis, in collaboration with partners metaLAB at Harvard, the…

Fast Company
Jun 25, 2021

What we learned about the future of education from COVID-19

What is learning and where and how does it happen? The pandemic let us consider these questions in new ways.

What is learning and where and how does it happen? The pandemic let us consider these questions in new ways.

News
Dec 17, 2020

BKC Policy Practice on AI Hosts Expert Review of Colombia’s AI Ethical Framework with Focus on Youth

Colombia President Iván Duque Márquez launches AI framework; BKC’s Urs Gasser delivers keynote

Colombia President Iván Duque Márquez launches AI framework; BKC’s Urs Gasser delivers keynote

Apr 29, 2020

Berkman Klein expands communications, public programming, and community efforts

Joy A. Lo and Lance Eaton join BKC staff, Rebecca Tabasky promoted to Director of Community

Two hires will help shape the future of BKC’s educational programming, outreach, and public messaging.

Jul 31, 2019

Elisabeth Sylvan joins Berkman Klein Center as Managing Director

Sylvan brings a wealth of experiences, perspectives, skills, and networks to BKC


Community

Medium

Global AI Regulation: Protecting Rights; Leveraging Collaboration

Policy experts from Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America outlined next steps for global AI regimes and networked capacity building

BKC Senior Director of Programs and Strategy Lis Sylvan and former BKC Research Assistant Niharika Vattikonda summarize the Global Network of Internet and Society Research Center…

Jun 13, 2024
Medium

Co-Designing Shared Futures

BKC Senior Director of Programs and Strategy Lis Sylvan introduces Co-Designing Generative Futures, a collection of multidisciplinary transnational reflections and speculations…

Nov 2, 2023
Center for Democracy and Technology

Report – Sharing the Health: Guidance for Schools When Procuring Mental Health Technologies

The Center for Democracy and Technology, with advice from Sandra Cortesi, Madeline McGee, Leah Plunkett, and Elizabeth Sylvan released a new report to help schools procure…

Jun 27, 2023

Generative AI: What should governments in Latin-America do?

Elisabeth Sylvan and Armando Guio Español propose measures to help governments in Latin America respond to generative AI...

May 17, 2023
Beaumont Enterprise

Elisabeth Sylvan on public schools and distance learning

BKC's managing director weighs in on the challenges that school districts face

Mar 14, 2020

Events

May 28, 2024 @ 9:00 AM

The State of AI Regulation Across the Globe

Network of Centers Learning Call - May 28

Event SummaryArtificial intelligence remains in the regulatory hot-seat, with governments racing to develop new and refined regulations and protections for AI. While the EU AI Act…

Mar 5, 2024 @ 4:00 PM

Guardrails: Guiding Human Decisions in the Age of AI

Urs Gasser returns to BKC for a book launch on "Guardrails" about decision governance.

Urs Gasser returns to BKC for a book launch on "Guardrails" about decision governance.

Event
Jun 28, 2022 @ 11:00 AM

Empowering People in Their Digital Lives: A Conference on Digital Self-Determination

[VIDEO] Hosted by the Directorate of International Law of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Federal Office of Communications and the…