Irene S. Wu, Ph.D. is the author of Forging Trust Communities: How Technology Changes Politics. The book shows that technology changes politics when it builds trust, not when it amplifies the noise. The case studies range from the telegraph in China and Brazil to social media in India and the Middle East.

Irene teaches at Georgetown University’s Communications, Culture, and Technology program. She has degrees from Harvard and Johns Hopkins and held fellowships in Taipei, Beijing, and Tokyo. Her first book From Iron Fist to Invisible Hand: the Uneven Path of Telecom Reform in China was published by Stanford University in 2009.

Fun-fact (#ProTip): Quiz her on art history when she staffs the info desk at the Smithsonian and follow her tweets on tech stats and garden views as she strolls the world.