Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick

Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick is a Professor of Sociology at the University of San Diego's Kroc School of Peace Studies and serves as Faculty Director for the Center for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He concurrently holds roles as Rights Lab Visiting Professor at the University of Nottingham, Co-Chair of Yale's GLC Working Group on the Future of Slavery and Emancipation, and inaugural Scholar in Residence at the Aspen Institute. With a PhD from the University of Notre Dame, his research focuses on social movements, technology, human rights, and slavery. His work bridges disciplines through publications like Connective Creativity (Cambridge 2025) and The Good Drone (MIT 2020). He teaches courses on social innovation and social movements at USD. His recent articles explore human rights futures and drone technology's sociopolitical impact. He co-founded Art Builds Collective and advises global initiatives like the International Panel on the Information Environment. His transnational academic roles reflect a commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and social justice.

Education: PhD in Sociology (University of Notre Dame).

Research Interests: Social movements' adoption of technology, ethics of innovation, contemporary slavery dynamics, and interdisciplinary education strategies. Key themes include how marginalized groups leverage technology for advocacy, ethical dilemmas in activism, and systemic challenges to emancipation.

Key Contributions: Pioneered frameworks for understanding slaveholders' rationalizations (What Slaveholders Think), developed pedagogical models for 'peace engineering,' and co-led initiatives to map modern slavery through geospatial technologies.

Labs/Initiatives: Leads USD's SPARK Social Innovation Institute, coordinates the Rights Lab's social movements research, and advises the Aspen Institute's Global Leadership Network. Involved in the Art Builds Collective to merge art with social justice advocacy.