The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) has announced the inaugural fellows of its Just Tech fellowship, which is focused on using technology to advance the public good and tackle complex issues. 

Selected from among 600 applicants, the six fellows will receive unrestricted awards of more than $250,000 over two years to work on issues ranging from immigrant organizing to police accountability, tech-enabled racial health disparities, novel surveillance systems, the discriminatory impact of algorithmic decision making, and disability justice. The fellows are Kim Gallon, Chris Gilliard, Christine Miranda, Clarence Okoh, Meme Styles, and Rua Williams.

The Just Tech program, including the digital platform and fellowship, is funded by a broad range of philanthropic foundations committed to cultivating critical work on the intersection of technology and social justice, including the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Surdna Foundation, and Democracy Fund.

“The Just Tech fellows are acting on the urgent need to create technology that serves the public interest, and not just the interests of powerful elites,” said Surdna Foundation president Don Chen. “We need to do a better job supporting the people who care for humanity. So, all fellows will receive funding to cover necessities such as health care. We can’t wait to see what these changemakers create when they’re provided with greater capacity to imagine, connect, and collaborate on solutions that bring about justice and joy.”

For more information about each fellow, see the SSRC website.

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