Applied Social Media Lab Welcomes Rudy Fraser

The Applied Social Media Lab, a pop-up initiative of Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, is delighted to welcome new fellow Rudy Fraser. Beginning February 1st, Rudy will join the Lab's growing community of faculty, industry-trained staff, and fellows, driving on novel social media solutions that serve the public good.

Rudy is a technologist and community organizer with over a decade of experience architecting IT systems and leading diverse technical teams. At ASML, Rudy will be working on Blacksky, a decentralized social media framework that empowers marginalized communities, particularly Black users, by providing tools for community-driven safety, data ownership, and interoperability across platforms. His work is rooted in fostering online spaces where communities can thrive without fear of harassment or data exploitation. 

The fellowship program offers Rudy and all participants the opportunity to develop innovative and practical approaches to social media technology oriented toward the public good. ASML Fellows lead self-directed projects aligned with one of four focus areas:

1. Spaces for Civil Discourse and Collaboration: Creating new platforms for constructive online dialogue.
2. Transparency Tools: Developing resources that make social media platforms more understandable to the public.
3. Personalized Safety Applications: Designing customizable tools to protect users from online threats.
4. Interoperable Software Infrastructure: Building frameworks that support diverse and healthy social media experiences.

Rudy joins ASML’s two existing fellows, Fay Johnson and Louis Barclay. Read more about these two fellows and their projects here.

For more information about the ASML Fellowship Program, please visit the Applied Social Media Lab's official website.
 
Please note that we are still evaluating the next cohort of fellows, and decisions will be communicated to successful applicants following the calendar determined by the call.