Contact at: zbell (at) berkeley (dot) edu
I am a member of the following groups at UC Berkeley:
Algorithmic Decision Systems (ADS) Reading Group
Science & Technology Studies/History of Science & Technology (STS/HST) Working Group
I am funded by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).
I am a third-year PhD student at UC Berkeley studying Theoretical Computer Science (TCS). I am interested in the development of accountability mechanisms for data sharing systems, including machine learning. Currently, I believe that utilizing the intellectual toolkit from cryptography is a promising way to tackle these problems given its ability to reason about parties with disparate resources, power, and goals and expand the solution space in surprising ways.
I also plan to complete the PhD minor in Science, Technology, and Society studies (STS). Feminist and anti-colonial STS gives me tools to think rigorously about the societal work done by mathematical abstractions, critically about the values embodied in my technical work, and imaginatively about what a more just science could look like without falling into technosolutionism. While it will never be enough to solve societal problems on its own, the research we do in CS is deeply shaped by cultural priorities and can also play a role in reshaping them.
I am currently fortunate to be advised by Shafi Goldwasser and Avishay Tal. During undergrad, I was honored to receive mentorship in TCS from Paul Beame and Nicolas Pippenger, and in STS from Marianne de Laet. Before starting my PhD, I majored in mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, with a minor in STS. I have a long-standing love for my hometown of Seattle.