Nita A. Farahany

Nita A. Farahany (born April 28, 1978) is an Iranian American author, academic, and scholar focusing on the ramifications of new technology on society, law, and ethics.^[1] She is the Robinson O. Everett Distinguished Professor of Law and Philosophy at Duke University School of Law. At Duke, she is the founding director of the Initiative for Science & Society and chairs the Applied Ethics & Policy MA program.^[2] Farahany has served on multiple national and international bioethics panels, including the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.^[3]

Farahany completed her undergraduate studies at Dartmouth College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in genetics, cell, and developmental biology. She later attended Duke University, where she earned a JD, an MA, and a PhD in the philosophy of biology and jurisprudence^[4]. Additionally, she earned a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (ALM) in biology from Harvard Extension School.^[3]

Early in her legal career, Farahany clerked for Judge Judith W. Rogers of the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Farahany began her academic career at Vanderbilt University Law School, starting as an assistant professor in 2006.^[2][5] She left Vanderbilt in 2011 to serve as the Leah Kaplan Visiting Professor of Human Rights at Stanford Law School.^[6]

She subsequently joined Duke University, where she holds a distinguished chair as the Robinson O. Everett Professor of Law and Philosophy.^[7] At Duke, she is the founding director of the Initiative for Science and Society, through which she oversees the Science, Law, and Policy Lab (SLAPLAB) and the university's master's program in Applied Ethics & Policy.^[6][8]

In 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Farahany to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, a panel established to advise on the ethical, legal, and social implications of advancements in bioscience.^[3][9]

Farahany’s research centers on neuroethics and the legal and ethical implications of emerging technologies. A major theme in her work is the advocacy for "cognitive liberty" – the idea that international human rights frameworks, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, should be updated to protect individuals' mental privacy and freedom of thought against advances in brain-decoding technologies.^[3][10]

In her professional capacities, Farahany was a board member of the International Neuroethics Society (INS) starting in 2012, eventually serving as its president.^[1] She has served on the neuroethics division of the BRAIN Initiative Multi-Council Working Group, the Expert Network for the World Economic Forum, and the President's Research Council of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR).^[1]

As a scholar and policy advisor, Farahany frequently presents her research globally. Notable engagements include speaking at the World Economic Forum, the Aspen Ideas Festival, and TED.^[11] She has also testified before the United States Congress, notably presenting on the privacy and civil liberty implications of facial recognition technology to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law.^[1][12]

• 2013: Elected as a member of the American Law Institute.
• 2013: Recipient of the Paul M. Bator Award, recognizing a legal academic under forty for excellence in legal scholarship.
• 2020: Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for "distinguished contributions to the field of neuroethics, enabling responsible and equitable development and implementation of new knowledge and technologies in neuroscience."
• 2021: Recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award from Duke University School of Law.^[13]

• Staff profile at Duke University