Ehsan Tavakoli-Nabavi

Ehsan Tavakoli-Nabavi is a Senior Lecturer in Technology and Society at the Australian National University (ANU), leading the Responsible Innovation Lab within the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science. His career transition from civil engineering to sociology and AI research positions him uniquely to bridge technical and social dimensions of innovation. He holds adjunct roles at Harvard Kennedy School and University of Bonn, and has held visiting positions at SOAS, University of London.

Research focuses on Responsible AI, ethical computing, and addressing 'wicked problems' through transdisciplinary approaches. Key areas include governance frameworks for emerging technologies, water resource modeling, and sustainable development. He pioneered the Responsible Innovation Lab, emphasizing experimental methods in innovation ethics.

Prior roles include Research Fellow at ANU School of Cybernetics (2018-2020) and Harvard Kennedy School (2016-2017). Current projects include the Water Policy Innovation Hub (2018-2022), addressing policy challenges in water scarcity via innovation ecosystems. His work integrates methodologies from systems dynamics, environmental impact assessment, and participatory modeling.

Publications span journals like Nature Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society, and Water Alternatives. He critiques AI development's societal impacts, advocating for equity-centered technical design and global South perspectives in innovation governance.