This project area, historically our most successful in generating external sponsored research from a

variety of sources, is led by Jesse Kirkpatrick, recently joined by Dasha Pruss last spring, and

investigates the governance and ethics of and for emerging technologies, with a current emphasis on

AI and quantum, respectively. The project has had notable successes leading to successful

sponsored funding awards, research outputs and dissemination activities, curriculum contributions,

and expanded collaborators and partners. Select successes include team members participating in a

three-year $1.39 million grant from the Department of Defense that was awarded to Mason (led by

the Schar School’s Dr. Singh) to study the economic and cultural determinants for global AI

infrastructures and describe their implications for national and international security. Kirkpatrick

was also awarded a Mason Fenwick Fellowship to support his participation in the project. In

addition, the Institute project team spearheaded the creation and approval of an undergraduate

minor in ethics and AI at Mason with the support of a curriculum impact grant. In collaboration

with Connected DMV’s Potomac Quantum Innovation Center, team members also formed the

leadership team supporting the creation of a Quantum Policy and Ethics Center, and released a

whitepaper, Our Quantum Future: Some Assembly Required, at the inaugural Quantum World Congress.

Team members continue to provide expert advice and assistance to partners in government, non-

profits, and the private sectors in the area of responsible innovation more generally. Finally,

Kirkpatrick has strengthened Mason’s leadership in responsible and ethical AI as Co-Director of the

Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center (MARC). His active research portfolio includes work on

the externally funded National Institute of Health’s Technical-Ethical Evaluation of AI-Based Tools for

Assessing Injuries on Diverse Skin Tones and the Small Business Administration-supported Center for AI

Innovation for Economic Competitiveness. He earned the Best Poster Award at NIH’s AIM-AHEAD

Annual Meeting (2025). In teaching, he continued to expand graduate and executive education in

Responsible AI, including leading the faculty professional education program in Responsible AI at

Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology (India) and leading executive education sessions.

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