Fields of Interest

I’m generally interested in tech policy and regulation, systems thinking, socially responsible computing, climate & energy policy.

Why did you get involved with the Center for Technological Responsibility, Re-imagination, and Redesign (CNTR)?

Working with the CNTR has been a unique opportunity to dive deeper at the intersectionality of my interests, find and foster community in this space at Brown, and to meet mentors and experts like Suresh (Director of CNTR)!

What has been your favorite course at Brown? 

The Politics of Regulation, but CS 15 also will always have a place in my heart.

How have your academic interests changed over the course of your time at Brown?

I came into Brown as a transfer student ready to embrace the open-endedness of the Open Curriculum and being at a liberal arts college. I’ve realized that at Brown there is space for all my interests, enjoying a quantitative foundation but also being a social sciences-minded person. 

What has been your favorite part of being a student at Brown?

There is a universal culture of humility and curiosity here! Which definitely seeps into how everyone interacts with each other, there’s a sense of authenticity and intentionality.

What experiences outside of the classroom have shaped your time at Brown?

My involvements have felt varied over time, but looking back, it’s quite thematic as I see in some bundles. I.e. CNTR, being an STA for Machine Learning, and being part of the AI team for the SRC Handbook project. Also have had some leadership roles in the Brown Consulting Club, Brown Investment Group, and Brown Womens’ Collective. Overall, I’ve learned that building community takes time, trust, and commitment, and that I thrive being team-oriented.

Who has inspired or mentored you throughout your degree?

I’ve had so many formal advisors (Suresh, my thesis advisor Debbie Gordon, Prof Nitsan Chorev) and informal mentors along the way (both upper and underclassmen!)

What is next for you? 

I’ll be working in New York City in equity research! 

What advice would you give to incoming students?

Stay open minded, and don’t be afraid to follow up/try again! I got involved with CNTR off of a cold email with Suresh - I initially wanted to join a project of his in a previous semester and wasn’t chosen, but I had followed up with an interest in getting to work with him in the future. The next semester when this opportunity with CNTR came up, that interactions was one of the touchpoints we built upon - now I’ve been involved with CNTR since its inception and part of one of the inaugural projects.

Michelle L. Ding is a graduating senior in Computer Science who has worked closely with DSI and the CNTR during her time at Brown, and she’s not done with us yet. After finding her niche in AI governance and socio-technical computing through research projects, clubs, and internships while at Brown–notably founding and leading the CNTR’s Socially Responsible Computing Handbook project–Michelle will be returning this fall as a student in the CNTR’s PhD program. Michelle recently received the inagural DSI Senior Award for Public Service in Data Science, recognizing her tireless work and leadership on the Socially Responsible Computing Handbook.

Fields of Interest

AI governance, socio-technical computing, and participatory design

How has your time at Brown shaped your academic and personal interests?

In my first year at Brown, I was heavily involved in community organizing, policy, and advocacy around sexual violence prevention and reproductive justice. I worked as a policy coordinator in the student-run organization End Sexual Violence @ Brown and a Sexual Assault Peer Educator with Brown Wellness to improve the culture of consent on campus. I also worked with the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV) to advocate and lobby for the Address Confidentiality Program, now signed into law, which protects the privacy of domestic violence survivors. Post-Dobbs, I co-founded Students at Brown for Reproductive Justice, a coalition with over 40 Brown student organizations, to launch a mutual aid campaign that raised over $3000 for the Women's Health & Education Fund of Rhode Island, Indigenous Women Rising, and Sister Song, organizations providing reproductive care for disproportionately affected communities across the country. (P.S. Here are some resources I compiled on sexual/reproductive health in the Brown/Providence area!)

When I entered the Computer Science space, I wanted to find an intersection between the community organizing work I loved and the new technical skills I was developing. I spent a summer in DC as a Brown in Washington fellow working on responsible AI at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. After that, I founded the Socially Responsible Computing Handbook project with professors Suresh Venkatasubramanian and Julia Netter. This year-long project is a perfect example of the kind of interdisciplinary, collaborative, community-centered, and impact-driven work that I care about. I also recently wrote a paper on AI-generated non-consensual intimate images–which draws upon my early experiences in sexual violence prevention–that was accepted in the CHI 2025 Sociotechnical AI Governance workshop. 

What has been your favorite part of being a student at Brown?

There are pianos everywhere for spontaneous jam sessions!

Who has inspired or mentored you throughout your degree?

There have been so many incredible professors who supported me throughout my Brown journey. In particular, I would like to thank Suresh Venkatasubramanian and Julia Netter for entertaining my SRC handbook thought-experiment-turned-legit-project and for their endless support, wisdom, trust, and faith. I’d like to thank Tim Nelson for creating the best teaching assistant environment in CS32 Software Engineering, always uplifting socially responsible computing, and for supporting me in my grad school applications. I’d like to thank Harini Suresh for her kind and thoughtful advising (and office tea) and for co-authoring with/guiding me to my first CHI workshop paper. Finally, I’d like to thank Malika Saada Saar for her immense advising and support for both my professional and personal growth in the Human Rights and AI study group and in our upcoming piece for the Oxford Handbook of Human Security. I am so eternally grateful for all the fantastic faculty I have been lucky enough to meet at Brown! Truly, they believed in me when I struggled to believe in myself and helped me get to where I am today. 

What is next for you? 

I’m extremely excited to be starting a Ph.D. in Computer Science at Brown with advisors Suresh Venkatasubramanian and Harini Suresh. I enter the program knowing that, here, I will be given the best support, resources, freedom, and trust to fully explore my interests, push my limits, and develop research that serves the communities I care about most. 

Fields of Interest

Fairness and accountability in machine learning

How have your academic interests changed over the course of your time at Brown?

My interests originated from a broad fascination with data-driven methods, and evolved into a passion for leveraging AI to address ethical issues regarding fairness and justice.

What drew you to these fields?

I am drawn to data science because of its foundational relevance across multiple disciplines. During my time at Brown, I wanted to build on the quantitative foundation established during my undergrad while engaging with the ethical considerations surrounding AI deployment. Working with the Center for Technological Responsibility, Re-imagination, and Redesign (CNTR) provided an ideal interdisciplinary research environment that matched this ambition to combine rigorous analytical approaches with socially responsible AI practices.

What has been your favorite course at Brown?

APMA 1690 (Computational Probability & Statistics) taught by Prof. Kun Meng

What experiences have made an impact on your time at Brown?

Participation with campus organizations like the Brown AI Safety Team (BAIST), Every Vote Counts (EVC), and Brown University Community Council (BUCC) has broadened my perspective on AI's societal implications and offered valuable opportunities to collaborate on diverse, impactful projects. 

I worked on other meaningful projects during my internships at Lightspeed Commerce and BRAC, where I deepened my technical expertise while grasping the ethical dimensions of real-world data science applications. 

Additionally, my research involvements with the CNTR and Watson Institute have strengthened my ability to deliver meaningful, data-driven insights within the context of responsible technological innovation. These multifaceted experiences will inform my approach to future research goals and professional challenges.

Who has inspired you throughout your degree?

I'd like to thank my thesis advisor, instructor, and SRC project collaborator, Prof. Suresh Venkatasubramanian, whose guidance and insights have been instrumental during my degree program. I'm also deeply grateful to Senior Fellow Malika Saada Saar, whose mentorship has profoundly shaped my approach to ethical AI.

What has been your favorite part of being a student at Brown?

I've valued the opportunity to engage with Brown's interdisciplinary community, which encourages collaboration across departments and allows students like myself to explore complex, real-world challenges from different perspectives.

What advice would you give to incoming students?

Be relentless about seeking opportunities outside the classroom.

What is next for you?

I'm excited to be joining TD Bank's Financial Crime Risk Management Department this summer as a full-time data scientist.