Christopher M. Kelty

Christopher M. Kelty is a Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), holding joint appointments in the Institute for Society and Genetics, the Department of Information Studies, and the Department of Anthropology. His research focuses on science and technology studies, internet culture, open source software, and the intersections of participation, technology, and the public sphere. He is the author of Two Bits: The Cultural Significance of Free Software (2008) and The Participant: A Century of Participation in Four Stories (2019).

Kelty earned a Ph.D. in Science, Technology, and Society from MIT (2000). His current research includes projects on urban animals in Los Angeles, funded by UCLA's Sustainable LA initiative, and an NSF-funded study on participation in diverse domains like citizen journalism and open science. He co-edits the scholarly magazine Limn, exploring the social and cultural implications of science and technology.

His work bridges anthropology, sociology, and information studies, addressing topics such as the ethics of nanotechnology, the history of software in life sciences, and the governance of participation in digital spaces. Kelty’s research emphasizes the cultural and political dimensions of technological systems, advocating for critical engagement with openness, collaboration, and the evolving role of technology in society.