Hi, I’m Sebastian!

I am a researcher and design engineer working for metaLAB (at) Harvard.

About

I’m a design engineer and researcher at metaLAB within the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. My research explores critical surveillance and security studies, algorithmic governance and critical data practices, digital humanities, and pedagogical development. At metaLAB, I am the lead engineer and designer of the AI Pedagogy Project, where I’m building digital tools that help educators critically and creatively engage with AI in the classroom. I hold a Bachelor of Information from the University of Toronto and a MSc in Social Science of the Internet from the University of Oxford.

Outside of metaLAB, I work as a research collaborator with the Data Nutrition Project, where I contribute to the organization’s efforts to mitigate AI bias through educational initiatives. I’m also affiliated with several interdisciplinary research and educational initiatives, including the Failure: Learning in Progress Project at the University of Toronto, the REFLECT Project at the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, and the Beyond Disinformation Research Cluster, a collaboration between researchers at the Universities of Manchester, Melbourne, and Toronto.

Areas of Research

Internet Studies
Human-Centered AI
Digital Humanities
Privacy and Surveillance
Human-Computer Interaction
Critical Security Studies
University Pedagogy

Conference Posters

Preserving the Past, Generating the Future: How Archivists Can Contribute to Generative AI’s Development

Association of Canadian Archivists Annual Conference

June 12, 2024 • With C. Thierstein

Facing the Fallout: The Private Military Contractors Protecting America’s Nuclear Arsenal

DH Fest 2024 at the University of Toronto

April 9, 2024

Dark Patterns: Deception and Manipulation in UX Design

Critical Digital Humanities International Conference

October 1, 2022 • With M. Iantorno & D. Guadagnolo

The United States of Surveillance

Digital Humanities Summer Institute (DHSI) Conference and Colloquium

June 18, 2021

Talks & Presentations

Shaping Reality: How America Wages (Dis)Information Warfare

Beyond Disinformation Research Symposium by the Universities of Manchester, Melbourne, & Toronto

October 7, 2024

Dark Patterns: Where Marketing Meets UX Design

University of Toronto CDHI Emerging Scholar Showcase

April 22, 2022

Publications

The United States of Surveillance: A Review of America’s Mass Surveillance Laws, Programs, and Oversight

Interdisciplinary Digital Engagement in Arts & Humanities (IDEAH), 3(2)

2022

My Work

Design Engineer & Researcher

metaLAB (at) Harvard, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society

JUN 2023 – Present

Research Collaborator

Data Nutrition Project

NOV 2024 – PRESENT

Web Designer & Research Engineer

Society for Teaching & Learning in Higher Education

Apr 2024 – Sep 2024

Web Developer & Research Assistant

University of Toronto

SEP 2022 – SEP 2024