Guiding Research Questions

Let’s be honest; independent research means no one is constantly checking your work or setting a schedule with expected paper outcomes. The challenge is that you have to create your own structure. That’s why I’ve set myself a few research questions that reflect how I think about technology to help me stay focused.

I explore two key dimensions of technology: the structural, focused on the security and stability of emerging technologies, and the social, centered on how digital growth shapes societal structures. I believe in intersectionality, recognizing that no topic exists in isolation and that the most effective solutions come from blending insights across disciplines.

Each question is tied to actual work I’m doing, whether that be communities I’m part of or projects I’m building. And of course, they will evolve as I discover new, more interesting avenues or limitations.

Structural: How do emerging technologies move from ideation to implementation and adaptation?

How can we support research-to-impact translation?

• What new scientific models can accelerate the pipeline by combining the careful, deep rigor of academia with the innovative attitude of industry?
• How can knowledge production be democratized through civic science?

Action: Exploring in relation to my consulting work with universities and my organizing work with the Association for Computing Machinery.

Is entrepreneurship evolving in the DC region, and what is driving that growth?

• What new macroeconomic, policy, and capital trends are reshaping the region's entrepreneurial landscape?
• How do DC’s unique characteristics (proximity to federal institutions, defense and policy talent pipelines) create structural advantages or constraints for innovation?
• In what ways do informal networks, civic communities, and grassroots meetups contribute to workforce development and knowledge exchange in the region?

Action: Exploring in relation to my consulting work with industry, my past and current work in entrepreneurship, and how meetups can become viable contributors to entrepreneurship through workforce development.

What organizational structures and governance models help groups coordinate effectively around shared goals?

• How do formal systems (decision-making authority, accountability mechanisms, and role clarity) interact with informal dynamics (trust, social norms, and incentive alignment) to support collaborative effectiveness?
• Under what conditions do groups maintain cohesion when individual members have different goals or incentives?

Action: Exploring in relation to the three groups/entities I help run, along with an understanding of the broader DC tech ecosystem.

Social: How do technology and human relationships shape each other within interconnected networks?

What social and organizational factors sustain voluntary, open-source communities?

• What motivates people to volunteer, and what causes them to disengage?
• How do online coordination practices complement in-person organizing, and what does an effective hybrid look like?

Action: Exploring in relation to CIB Mango Tree. I have been part of this group since its start and serve as the Engagement Lead.

What does it take to build a community, not just an audience?

• What practices move a group of people from shared interest to long-term participation and shared responsibility?
• How can technology support or weaken the engagement of communities?

Action: Exploring in relation to my work running Civic Tech DC and studying volunteer-driven civic infrastructure.

Is civic tech creating democratic capacity, or compensating for institutional decline?

• When civic tech succeeds, does it lead to institutional change or temporary workarounds?
• How do communities preserve institutional memory and civic knowledge?
• What does success look like in civic technology work?

Action: Exploring in relaton to my work running Civic Tech DC and studying volunteer-driven civic infrastructure.