Hello! I'm working to improve the technology that controls our shared visual experiences.

Why do we take pictures, and how do those pictures change us?
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By focusing on how photography shapes culture and society, my work is about designing the next generation of visual communication tools—how we see and feel seen.

I have sought to understand technology's influence on our reality as Stanford University's first Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence and JSK Journalism Fellow in 2019. For this work I also draw upon my own journey, as senior photo editor for National Geographic Magazine and one of the first 60 recruits at Instagram in 2014 where I helped build the platform for 1 billion users within five years. Prior to that, I supported photographers committed to long-form reportage on human rights issues through grant-making, exhibition and story development.

Fun fact: I have the unique distinction of running the world’s two largest organizational social media accounts (@natgeo and @instagram) between 2012-2018, during a pivotal time when platforms scaled from human-powered content discovery to algorithmic personalization for the first time.

Today, you can find me leading Aesthetics Science with Apple Camera and Photos. I serve on the board of the Magnum Foundation and as affiliate fellow with Stanford University's Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.
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Photograph by Sarah Silver
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