Tom van Nuenen

Research Scientist & Lecturer UC Berkeley D-Lab & MaCSS

tomvannuenen [at] berkeley.edu

Tom van Nuenen

My research examines how sociotechnical systems encode cultural meaning. I connect work on AI ethics and value alignment with digital hermeneutics and the cultural analysis of games, tourism, and platforms, with a sustained interest in how digital systems organize social values, represent places, and structure 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