2024
STEM and Democracy: Voting and Representation

TED ALLEN, PhD

Dr. Allen is a professor of Integrated Systems Engineering and Computer Science Engineering (Courtesy) at the Ohio State University (OSU).  He completed his PhD at the University of Michigan.  His career is focused on designing and implementing optimization, quality/statistics/machine learning, and digital trust solutions for manufacturers, healthcare organizations, and supply chain management. He is the Simulation Area Editor for Computers & Industrial Engineering and Associate Editor of the Journal of Manufacturing Systems. He is a member of the INFORMS Edelman Academy and a fellow of ASQ. Dr. Allen is the chair of the Integrated Systems Engineering Prize Committee, a member of the University Information Security & Privacy Advisory Board, and VP of Communications for the Informs Public Sector Operations Research Section.

MATTHEW BERNHARD, PhD

Dr. Bernhard is the Director of Security and Special Projects at Enhanced Voting, an election technology company. Matt received his PhD from the University of Michigan, with his dissertation "Election Security is Harder Than You Think." He has worked with dozens of states and local jurisdictions across the country to implement best practices, including post-election audits, election results reporting, absentee balloting, accessibility and usability, and securing voting systems.

JENNIFER WILSON, PhD

Dr. Wilson is an associate professor in the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Eugene Lang College, The New School, in New York City. She received her BS at the University of British Columbia and her PhD in mathematics at Princeton University. She is interested in how fairness principles can be interpreted in applications of mathematics to the social sciences and has conducted research in social choice theory, resource allocation, and cooperative game theory. Recent projects include a co-authored book on delegate allocation in the US Presidential Primaries and an analysis of the properties of Ranked Choice Voting. She has also taught classes in mathematics applied to voting theory, political representation and redistricting.