Erhardt Graeff

Erhardt Graeff is an Associate Professor of Social and Computer Science at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, with additional affiliations as a Faculty Associate at Harvard's Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics and Visiting Fellow at Johns Hopkins University's SNF Agora Institute. His research focuses on civic technology, public interest technology, and the ethical responsibilities of technologists in democratic societies.

He holds a Ph.D. and S.M. in Media Arts and Sciences from MIT, an M.Phil. in Modern Society and Global Transformations from the University of Cambridge, and dual B.S. degrees in International Studies and Information Technology from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Graeff's interdisciplinary research examines how technology can foster civic engagement, social justice, and democratic stewardship. Core themes include: designing civic technologies that empower marginalized communities; developing frameworks for ethical engineering practice ('civic professionalism'); creating pedagogical models for public interest technology education; and analyzing digital activism. His work emphasizes community-centered design, refusal as an ethical practice, and metrics for evaluating civic impact.

His publications demonstrate consistent focus on civic empowerment through technology, with recent work exploring ethical frameworks for engineering, liberation pedagogy in tech education, and equitable participatory design. Key trends include developing assessment methodologies for civic technologies and reimagining engineering ethics through civic responsibility.

Major Awards:

• Best Dissertation Award, Association of Internet Researchers (2019)
• Outstanding Author Contribution Award, Emerald Literati Network (2015)
• Benjamin Siegel Prize in Science, Technology, Society, MIT (2014)
• New Leaders Council Fellowship (2010)

He has secured significant funding including grants from SNF Agora Institute ($20,000), National Endowment for Humanities ($60,000), and Public Interest Technology University Network ($88,790). He founded Olin's Public Interest Technology Clinic and supervises student projects on ethical AI, surveillance policy, and civic engagement tools.

Graeff leads multiple initiatives including the Affordable Design and Entrepreneurship program at Olin and serves as Trustee for the Needham Free Public Library. His 'Citizen Professionalism' framework informs curriculum development across engineering programs.