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Deborah G. Johnson

Professor Emeritus, Engineering and Society Olsson Professor of Applied Ethics Emeritus
Contact
Location
351 McCormick Road
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About

Deborah G. Johnson retired as the Anne Shirley Carter Olsson Professor of Applied Ethics in the STS Program within the Department of Engineering and Society.  She continues to hold that title with emeritus status and she continues to be active in research and occasional teaching

During her career, Johnson has taught engineering students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Virginia.

In research, Johnson is best known for her work on computer ethics and engineering ethics.  She published one of the first textbooks on computer ethics in 1985. The book was revised three times and translated into multiple languages. Drawing on her training in philosophy and ethics, she has published on a wide range of topics all directly or indirectly having to do with ethical, social, and policy implications of technology, especially information technology.

Johnson’s research has repeatedly received support from the National Science Foundation including awards focused on Surveillance and Transparency as Sociotechnical Systems of Accountability and a project on Ethics for Developing Technologies: An Analysis of Artificial Agents.

Active in professional organizations, Johnson has served as President of the Society for Philosophy and Technology, President of the International Society for Ethics and Information Technology (INSEIT), Treasurer of the ACM Special Interest Group on Computers and Society, Chair of the American Philosophical Association Committee on Computers and Philosophy, and a member of the Executive Board of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics.

Education

Ph.D. University of Kansas (Philosophy) 1976

Research Interests

Ethics and Information Technology
Engineering Ethics
Ethics and AI
STS Theory and Policy Implications

Selected Publications

Constituting Algorithmic Accountability. 2025. In Noorman, M., Verdicchio, M. (Eds). Computer Ethics Across Disciplines. Philosophy of Engineering and Technology, vol 44. Springer, Cham. D. G. Johnson.
The sociotechnical entanglement of AI and values. 2025. AI & Society 40, 67–76. D.G. Johnson and M. Verdicchio.
Algorithmic Accountability In The Making. 2021. Social Philosophy and Policy , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , Winter, pp. 111 - 127. D.G. Johnson
Technology & Society: Building our Sociotechnical Future. 2nd edition. 2021. The MIT Press. Johnson, D.G. and J.M. Wetmore (Eds).
Engineering Ethics, Contemporary and Enduring Debates. 2020. Yale University Press. D.G. Johnson.

Featured Grants & Projects

ViSmedia Project Adjunct Professor for the ViSmedia Project, Department of Information Science and Media Studies, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. [ViSmedia investigates how the adoption and adaption of visual surveillance technologies in the news media might be optimized to integrate the societal responsibility of high quality journalism. 2015-2019.
The Virginia Cyber Navigator Internship Program (VA-CNIP) VA-CNIP is a coalition of Virginia universities in partnership with the Virginia Department of Elections to provide an innovative educational program designed to train future cybersecurity professionals to protect election infrastructure. Funded by The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity. 2022-2024.