Jevan Hutson is living his dream.
Between his new role as Faculty Associate for the Tech Policy Lab, recent appointment as Assistant Professor at the School of Law and ongoing work as Director of the Technology Law & Public Policy Clinic, Hutson can barely contain his enthusiasm.
“I love teaching,” he said. “I love teaching about things that I’m excited by, and I’m passionate about, and being able to witness that excitement in others, or bring that excitement out in others. Students are hungry, students have ideas, students have really interesting lived experiences. I want to be able to be that support that I would have wanted.”
Joining the Tech Policy Lab positions him perfectly to advise this next generation of innovators. Mentorship is a central part of being a Faculty Associate, he says, along with bringing different groups together and expanding the TPL’s work.
“Building community, building interdisciplinary collaboration is … core to [this role]. Being a resource to students, whether that’s in an advisory capacity or a social and community capacity, is an incredibly important part of the Lab.”
He was part of this community as a student, and experiencing it then is part of what brought him back.
“I came to UW as a law student because of the Tech Policy Lab and Professor Calo,” he said. “As a law student, I was in the Tech Policy Lab [weekly discussions]. That’s how I met many of my co-authors. Most of the folks I hung out with were either in computer science or the iSchool (and that was) how I met many of the collaborators. It’s not just law students, it’s not just public policy people, it’s not just CS folks, it’s sort of everyone in between, which I think makes for really good debate, really good discourse.”
Tech Policy Lab Executive Director Alex Bolton appreciates the impact Hutson made and is making on the work of the Lab through his openness and deep enthusiasm for the mission.
“He did a great job of bringing some of the TPL computer science and informatics PhD students into the fold and inviting them to Clinic classes,” Bolton said. “His background and candor give him the perspective and expertise to easily cross disciplines and speak to a variety of students, partners and collaborators, and serve as a connector.”
Hutson’s career history is basically the definition of interdisciplinary. He has worked in computing, data, technology, ethics, privacy, AI and corporate law. But he always felt called to return to academia.
“I probably had an interest since I was a law student. And every year since I graduated, I was still publishing, still engaging in academic work. I’ve been an academic at heart since I was a law student.
“In practice, so much of the work is putting out fires … rather than thinking, ‘Why do we have fires in the first place?’ So (in academic work) you get more proactive space to think about solutions.”
Co-Director Ryan Calo notes that this strategic perspective is exactly what makes Hutson such a valuable addition to the Lab.
“Professor Hutson embodies the sort of interdisciplinary pragmatism that has been a hallmark of the Tech Policy Lab since its inception,” he said. “A natural translator, he brings new ideas and energy into every collaboration.”
Hutson’s priority is continuing to build the framework for these collaborations by infusing Tech Policy Lab values into UW Law curricula, and expanding access to classes and programs. He would love to see programs interface with other departments and bring external students into the Tech Policy Lab and the Technology Law & Public Policy Clinic.
“I just feel like I have quite a bit of institutional support behind doing interdisciplinary work,” he said. “It’s not frowned upon; it’s encouraged. That’s really exciting. I like getting to build opportunities for students. I live by the mantra of, ‘Be the professor you wanted,’ and I’m trying my best to be that.”