Renée DiResta (McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University, Washington) is a researcher, writer, and professor specializing in online disinformation and the dynamics of digital propaganda.

She began her career studying computer science and political science at Stony Brook University and even interned for the CIA during her undergraduate years. Over the past decade, she has become a leading expert on how misinformation, propaganda, and manipulation spread across social media networks.

Previously, DiResta was the Technical Research Manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory, where she led investigations into state-sponsored influence operations—such as those conducted by Russian entities during the 2016 U.S. elections—and studied other high-impact areas like anti-vaccine misinformation.

Today, she is an Associate Research Professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and the author of the book Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies into Reality, which examines how influencers, algorithms, and online communities shape public opinion.

More information about this AISSR Lecture will follow.