About

Joseph B. Keller is a visiting fellow in Foreign Policy, affiliated with the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology and Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative. His research interests include global governance strategies for machine learning and artificial intelligence, policy implications for emerging technologies in the global south, and the geopolitical consequences of climate change.

Keller was previously a senior director of congressional and federal relations for the American Psychological Association, managing an advocacy portfolio of legislative and executive branch policy issues areas including climate change, artificial intelligence, and the future of work. Prior to the association, he served as a Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. National Science Foundation for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. At the foundation, Keller facilitated the administration of multi-lateral, international grant-making programs within the Division of Information and Intelligent Systems and supported the launch of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes competition. He was formerly an executive search consultant in the civic sector, where he consulted with institutional committees and recruited leaders for higher education, biomedical research, and environmental conservation.

Keller received a bachelor’s in biological sciences from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County as a Meyerhoff Scholar, a master’s in computational neuroscience from Boston University, and a doctorate in cognitive science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His work and expertise have appeared in Foreign Policy, Nature, The Washington Post, and other platforms.

  • Areas of Expertise

    • Cognitive science and neuroscience
    • Machine learning and artificial intelligence
    • Emerging technology and security
  • Current Positions

    • Adjunct Faculty, Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service
    • Technology Fellow, Horizon Institute for Public Service
  • Past Positions

    • Senior Director for Congressional & Federal Relations, American Psychological Association
    • AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow, National Science Foundation
    • Executive Search Consultant, Isaacson, Miller Inc.
  • Education

    • Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2016)
    • M.A., Boston University (2009)
    • B.S., University of Maryland, Baltimore County (2007)

Media and Appearances

TechTarget February 21, 2024

I don’t think you see any progress forward [in quantum computing] without the passage of that [National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act] legislation.

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Scientific American January 31, 2024

Joseph B. Keller’s, Manann Donoghoe’s, and Andre M. Perry’s report on climate justice in an era of AI was cited in an article on how AI’s climate impacts may it marginalized people the...

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Digital Insurance October 4, 2023

People often consider the “cloud” and AI to be an intangible thing. However, many are waking up to the fact that digital communication, processing, and storage require a very tangible..."

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