Who We are

Elizabeth is a rising junior majoring in Computer Science with a certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship. She has software engineering and product management experience from a variety of academic and professional projects and is broadly interested in the topics of data privacy, algorithm bias, and tech for social good. This summer she will be working at Zoom as product management intern. On campus, she is the Vice President of Hack DTech, a Duke Technology Scholar, a product manager within Duke Applied Machine Learning, and involved with the Duke Women in Technology program and FEMMES. In her free time, Elizabeth can be found spending time outdoors, traveling, and trying new foods.

Sara Ann is a rising junior majoring in Computer Science and Public Policy. Her academic focus is tech policy, particularly data privacy legislation and antitrust enforcement. On campus, she is a co-founder of Tech for Equity, a student-run initiative that connects students with technical abilities with nonprofits they can assist, and a member of DTech and Women in Technology. She also is a research assistant for Professor David Hoffman, investigating data privacy legislation internationally as part of the Platform Accountability project.

Abigail Eun is an incoming sophomore at Duke University from Los Angeles, California. She is planning to double-major in Computer Science and Public Policy with a certificate in Policy Journalism and Media Studies. Eun is interested in the ethical and moral applications of technology in healthcare, education, and politics. At Duke, she is a board member for the Chronicle's Community Editorial Board, a research assistant for Ethical Tech, and a volunteer for GANO.

Kushagra Ghosh is a rising junior studying Computer Science in Duke Trinity College. Through his many years of community service teaching programming and senior citizen tech skill classes in his local communities, he has developed a love for sharing the wonders of technology with as many people as possible. He is very interested in understanding the ethical and social implications of software development based on the ACM Code of Ethics. In the future, he is striving to utilize programming and mathematical skills to pursue a career in technology.

I’m Aphelion (Aphe) Astrachan, a sophomore majoring in philosophy and computer science. I’m interested in exploring a predominately two-level utilitarian approach to ethics in technology, as well as the implementation of Bayesian nets and Markov chains to create ethical decision-making operations. In my free time, I enjoy rock climbing, watching bad movies with my friends, listening to a LOT of music, and reading manga and philosophy (Some of my favorites are Baudrillard, Camus, and I’m getting more into D+G).

Sabhyata Jha is a rising senior majoring in Data Science dual-enrolled at Duke University and Duke Kunshan University. Born and raised in Nepal, her interests lie in designing products and models that facilitate information access for technology use. She is particularly keen on dissecting the ethics and interpretability of big data and algorithms from a technological design perspective. She is involved with Ethical Tech Club at Duke, the South Asian Dance group Duke Lasya, and is a Student Ambassador at Duke Kunshan University. In her free time, she enjoys hosting sit-down dinners, watching stand-up comedy, and dancing.

Riya is a rising sophomore from Morrisville, North Carolina pursuing a double major in Computer Science and Economics. She is passionate about using technology to make an impact for social good, especially through education, which is why learning about the ethics of technology is exciting for her this summer! Outside of class, she looks to explore the intersection of technology with other fields through experiential opportunities such as Duke’s Impact Investing Group and Women in Tech. In her free time, Riya loves traveling, painting, and hiking.

I'm a rising sophomore from West Windsor, New Jersey studying Computer Science and Economics.  Outside of classes, I work as an engineer for the Blockchain Lab at Duke and as a software developer for a local tech health startup dedicated to improving medical diagnoses.  After graduating, I plan to pursue a career in product management or venture capital in the blockchain sphere in order to help this emerging realm of technology innovate ethically.

Gargi Mahadeshwar is a rising junior majoring in Computer Science. She is interested in the application of computer science to social good. This summer, she will be a Civic Digital Software Engineering Fellow at the National Institutes of Health. At Duke, she is the co-chair of the Human Rights Student Advisory Board, the Vice President of Community Development of DTech, and works at the Duke Human Rights Center. In her free time, she dances on the Duke Raas Team.

My name is Micah Schulman, and I am a freshman at Duke University from California, currently pursuing a major in Public Policy with a minor in Computer Science. I have been very interested in technology from a young age, but recently my interests have shifted more towards the intersection between ethics and technology. I am very excited about being able to participate in the Re-Imagining Tech Fellowship this summer!

I, Andrew Shaffer, grew up in NYC then moved out to Connecticut in 5th grade. A few interesting details that further describe who I am are that I have a twin sister, when I was 12 I fractured my skull and needed an immediate craniotomy, I am incredibly passionate about Classical civilizations/language, and I am leaning towards a CompSci major, but still not 100%.

Joyce is a junior double majoring in computer science and public policy. She is interested in harvesting the power of big data and technology to promote equality and sustainable development. In her free time, she loves travelling, cooking, or sitting in a cafe.

Cassandra Zia Claros is a rising junior from the Philippines studying Computation and Design with a Track in Social Policy, an interdisciplinary major at Duke Kunshan University. She hopes to be involved in public policy and decision-making in an increasingly digital world that relies on technology.  Zia is currently involved in DKU's U-Corp Lab, where she is working on a marketing strategy for Meta-Inculand, a Chinese company that creates advertising in innovative technologies such as NFT's and the metaverse, and in Duke Pamilya, Duke University's Filipino student association. She loves fashion, looking for new artists to listen to on Spotify, and oil painting.