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Nanette Levinson Professor SIS | Environment, Development & Health

Contact
Nanette Levinson
(202) 885-1480 (Office)
SIS | Environment, Development & Health
4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW 241
By appointment & ZOOM anytime!
Degrees
EdD, social policy analysis, Harvard University;

EdM, sociology of education, Harvard University;

BA, social relations, Harvard University

Languages Spoken
French, German
Favorite Spot on Campus
"The Dav" and the HUB!
Bio
Nanette S. Levinson is Professor and Academic Director of the SIS/Sciences-Po Exchange. Currently one of two Directors of the Internet Governance Lab, she has also served as Editor of the International Communication Section, The International Studies Compendium Project. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.

Recipient of awards for outstanding teaching, program development, academic affairs administration, multicultural affairs and honors programming, she has designed campus co-curricular learning initiatives as well as research-based training programs for the private and public sectors. In 2011, the Ashoka Foundation presented her with an “Award for Outstanding Contributions to Social Entrepreneurship Education.” In 2021 The International Studies Association International Communication Section selected her for its "Distinguished Scholar Award".

Her research and teaching focus on knowledge transfer, culture, and innovation; internet and global governance; and social entrepreneurship. She also studies co-processes and change focusing on new media, culture and policy issues in the developing world. Prof. Levinson's writings appear in journals ranging from Information Technologies and International Development to International Studies Perspectives. Her latest co-authored book, Geopolitics At the Internet's Core (Palgrave Macmillan) was published in August 2025. She received her bachelor’s, masters and doctoral degrees from Harvard University.
See Also
Professor Levinson's Twitter feed
The International Communication Program website
Professional Website
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request. Explore all AU Faculty Experts in our media guide.

Teaching

Spring 2025

  • SISU-419 Senior Capstone: Int'l Studies: Social Innovatn/Positive Chng

Fall 2025

  • SISU-397 SIS Honors Colloquium: Tech/Human-Centric Development

Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities

Honors, Awards, and Fellowships

  • Distinguished Scholar Award, International Studies Association International Communication Section, 2021
  • F. Gunther Eyck Award for Dedication and Devotion to Teaching and Students, SIS, 2015
  • Darrell Randall Award for Outstanding Service to the University Community, SIS, 2013
  • Award for Outstanding Contributions to Social Entrepreneurship Education from the Ashoka Foundation, February 2011

Selected Publications

Recent Books:

  • L. DeNardis, D.L. Cogburn, N.S. Levinson and F. Musiani, co-editors, Researching Internet Governance: Methods, Frameworks, Futures. MIT Press, 2020. 

  • F. Musiani, D. L. Cogburn, L. DeNardis, and N.S. Levinson, co-editors, The Turn To Infrastructure In Internet Governance. Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.

Select Peer-Reviewed Publications

  • “Idea Entrepreneurs: The United Nations Open-Ended Working Group & Cybersecurity”. Telecommunications Policy 45, (6): July 2021.
  • “A Tri-Decennia View of Knowledge Transfer Research: What Works In Diffusion & Development Contexts” Journal of International Communication, 21 (2): September 2015.
  •  "Linking Trajectories: On-line Learning and Intercultural Exchanges", with Kaitlin Davidson (SIS Alumna).  International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. July 2015.

Book Chapters

  • “International Organizations and Global Internet Governance Interorganizational Architecture”, with M. Marzouki, Chapter 3 in D. Cogburn, L. Denardis, F. Musiani, and N.S. Levinson, co-editors, The Turn To Infrastructure In Internet Governance.  Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.
  • “Internet Governance Institutionalization: Process and Trajectories”, with M. Marzouki, Chapter 1 in Michèle Rioux and Kim Fontaine-Skronski., eds. Global Governance Facing Structural Changes: New Institutional Trajectories for Digital and Transnational Capitalism.  Palgrave Macmillan, 2015.

Executive Experience

  • International Editorial Advisory Board, Global Media and Communication, 2016-
  • Editorial Board, Internet Histories: Digital Technology, Culture & Society, 2016-     
  • Faculty Director, Internet Governance Lab, American University, 2016-
  • President, Information Technology and Politics Section, American Political Science Association, 2010-2011
  • Chair, International Communication Section, International Studies Association, 2007-2008

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