Long Bio

Professor of the Practice of Government and Technology at the Harvard Kennedy School and in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Editor-in-Chief of Technology Science, and the founding Director of the Public Interest Tech Lab, Data Privacy Lab, and the Tech Science Program at Harvard. Sweeney creates and uses technology to assess and solve societal, political and governance problems, and teaches others how to do the same.

She pioneered the field known as data privacy and her work is cited in the HIPAA Privacy Rule and other federal privacy regulations worldwide. Her work on discrimination in online ads ignited the new research area known as algorithmic fairness. She is an elected fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics, with more than 100 academic publications, 3 patents, 7000 academic citations, and 3 company spin-offs. She has received numerous professional, academic and lifetime achievement awards and testified before federal and international government bodies. Among other federal appointments, Sweeney formerly served as the Chief Technology Officer at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

In 2018, Harvard launched its new Program in Technology Science, which prepares students for jobs as technologists that work in the public interest. The program is based on Sweeney's prior success at teaching students to scientifically assess unforeseen consequences in technology and to work in civil society organizations, government, and technology companies. Sweeney joined with 50 scholars worldwide to launch the Technology Science Initiative to promote the approach broadly.

Sweeney earned her Ph.D. in computer science from MIT in 2001, being the first black woman to do so. Before joining Harvard as a faculty member, Sweeney was the Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, where she taught computer science, technology and policy from 1998 to 2011. She and her spouse currently serve as the X.D. and Nancy Yang Faculty Deans of Currier House at Harvard College. Professor Sweeney also serves as a member of the inaugural global Technology Policy Council of the Association for Computing Machinery, the world's largest association of computer scientists and professionals. More information about Professor Sweeney is available at her website (latanyasweeney.org).

Professor Sweeney was also formerly a Distinguished Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, where she built foundational work in data privacy and computer science education. Her academic career spans decades of pioneering research at the intersection of technology, privacy, and social justice.

Her research has resulted in over 100 academic publications with more than 7,000 citations, 3 patents, and 3 company spin-offs. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards including the Louis D. Brandeis Privacy Award, the American Psychiatric Association Privacy Advocacy Award, and she is a Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics.

In 2016, Professor Sweeney and her family moved to Currier House at Harvard College as Faculty Deans. Being a Faculty Dean has been one of the most rewarding experiences of her life, providing a unique teaching-learning environment where she can mentor and live alongside Harvard College undergraduates. She is passionate about helping students harness their energy for innovative solutions to pressing societal problems.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Professor Sweeney enjoys motorcycles and creative writing, bringing a well-rounded perspective to her work in technology and governance.