Tom van Nuenen

Research Scientist & Lecturer · UC Berkeley D-Lab & MaCSS

tomvannuenen [at] berkeley.edu

Tom van Nuenen

I use computational methods — natural language processing, large language models, and cultural analytics — to study inequality, bias, and norms in sociotechnical systems. My work spans AI ethics and value alignment, digital hermeneutics, and the cultural analysis of games and tourism — with a running interest in how digital systems mediate place, locality, and mobility.

Norms and Biases in AI

How algorithmic systems encode, enforce, and unsettle social norms, and who bears the cost.

Digital Hermeneutics

Reading large text collections both closely and at scale.

Video Games & Virtual Worlds

Space, movement, and meaning in designed worlds.

Tourism, Platforms & Place

How platforms mediate locality, authenticity, and the experience of place.

Grants & Projects

DADD

King’s College London, 2019–2022 EPSRC

Cross-disciplinary collaboration on algorithmic bias and discrimination with academics and industry partners. Project site

REPHRAIN

UK National Research Centre, 2022 UKRI

Led research on intersectional discrimination in automated systems. Project site