The University of Washington Tech Policy Lab is pleased to announce postdoctoral scholar Nick Logler as its Siegel Research Fellow. The fellowship of $125,000 was awarded by Siegel Family Endowment.
Logler earned his PhD from the UW Information School in 2023, with research focused on how people are affected by experiences of designing, building, and using different creative technologies.
Logler’s proposal aligns with Siegel’s research interests, situated at the intersection of technology and social sciences, that look to understand “how technology can be shaped and deployed in ways that better society.” He sees the fellowship’s emphasis on partnering as key to advancing and evolving this discipline.
“I think one of the most exciting parts of the Siegel Fellowship is their cohort model,” Logler said. “I am part of a cohort of researchers, and Siegel really encourages us to share our work with one another, workshop new ideas, and to network. They also are invested in me, all the fellows, growing professionally – so in addition to supporting research, they run training workshops, encourage public-facing outreach, and are willing to connect us to other organizations and opportunities.”
Logler plans to use the grant to continue his work designing resources and tools, with a focus on policymakers and young people. These audiences respectively represent the groups guiding the regulations around material resources and how materiality will be considered in the future.
Siegel grantees to-date include impactful organizations such as Data & Society, Center for Democracy and Technology, NYU’s Center for Social Media and Politics, and Aspen Digital.
Siegel Family Endowment believes that “philanthropy is society’s risk capital” to test new and emerging solutions capable of bringing about systems change at all levels and scales. Siegel Research Fellows such as Logler “explore instrumental research questions underpinning Siegel Family Endowment’s grantmaking.”
Tech Policy Lab Co-Director Batya Friedman, professor in the Information School and advisor to Logler, sees how the grant contributes to a larger impact.
“Civic society thrives when innovative technologies are taken up in ways that support human and planetary flourishing. Such uptake requires considered socio-ecological-technical stewardship — that shapes technical capabilities with wise, inclusive tech policy.”