Farewell to Dr. Paul N. Edwards
The Program in Science, Technology, and Society (STS) at Stanford University extends its deepest gratitude to Dr. Paul N. Edwards as he concludes his tenure as our Director. A distinguished scholar of science and technology studies, Dr. Edwards’s leadership and scholarship have made lasting contributions to the program and the broader field.
Dr. Edwards taught in Stanford’s STS Program and Computer Science Department from 1992-1998, before joining the University of Michigan, where he co-founded its Science, Technology, and Society program. He returned to Stanford in 2017 as Director of STS and as the William J. Perry Fellow and Senior Research Scholar, while retaining his emeritus professorship in Information and History at Michigan.
An internationally recognized scholar, Dr. Edwards is the author of numerous publications and a sought-after expert on the global infrastructure of climate science. His 2010 book, A Vast Machine: Computer Models, Climate Data, and the Politics of Global Warming, is widely regarded as a landmark work that traces the emergence of climate science as a data-intensive, collaborative enterprise. The book exemplifies how knowledge, methods, and infrastructure co-evolve—an enduring theme in STS scholarship. In 2021, Dr. Edwards became the first social scientist to serve as a Lead Author of the physical sciences report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment.
In recognition of his lifetime of scholarly contributions, Dr. Edwards received the John Desmond Bernal Prize in 2025 from the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S)—the organization’s highest honor, awarded for distinguished contributions to the field of Science and Technology Studies.
As Director, Dr. Edwards provided visionary leadership that strengthened and modernized the STS Program. He expanded the curriculum, introduced new opportunities for students and scholars to engage with urgent global challenges such as climate change, artificial intelligence, and nuclear risk, and fostered collaboration across disciplines. His courses on the politics of data, AI, and energy and climate governance, as well as the Stanford COLLEGE course “Preventing Human Extinction,” co-taught with Professor Steve Luby, have inspired students across fields.
Dr. Edwards’s commitment to equity and inclusion is reflected in initiatives such as the STS Director’s Award for Advancing Social Justice and the Race in Science, Technology & Medicine speaker series, presented in 2020 to explore the intersections of race, power, and knowledge in scientific and technological practice. Through his engagement with the Stanford Existential Risks Initiative (SERI), he built meaningful connections between STS and interdisciplinary research focused on sustainability and global risk. He also recruited postdoctoral fellows who have significantly enriched the program’s teaching and mentorship.
In 2024, Dr. Edwards developed STS 301, a foundational graduate seminar that equips certificate students with essential theoretical and methodological tools for advanced interdisciplinary research. Under his leadership, the STS Lectures: Science & Technology Studies Today series has become a vital platform for dialogue on emerging questions in the field, strengthening engagement within and beyond the Stanford community.
The STS Program thanks Dr. Edwards for his exemplary leadership, scholarship, and service, and extends its best wishes as he retires from Stanford and enters a new chapter of his career. Dr. Edwards will continue his academic pursuits as Distinguished Professor at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WISER) at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
The role of Director of the STS Program will be assumed by Dr. Thomas Mullaney, effective January 2026.