Alondra Nelson is the Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study. A former deputy assistant to President Joe Biden, she served as acting director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. As a distinguished senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, she has provided science and technology policy guidance to local, state, and federal governments, international organizations, and others. Her research examines intersections of science, technology, medicine, and social inequality and she is the author of several books including The Social Life of DNA. Her essays, reviews, and commentary have been featured in a range of media, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Wired and Science.