Education

Elaine is a 2nd-year Ph.D. student in Cybersecurity at Northeastern University. She works in the Human, AI Technology, and Society (HATS) Lab, where she is grateful to be advised by Professor Chenyan Jia. She is funded by the NSF Plaform for Exchange and Allocation of Resources (PEAR) fellowship, where she researches AI alignment by incorporating theories and perspectives from the social sciences. She also received her Master’s in Cybersecurity and Bachelor’s in Computer Science at George Washington University, where she was a NSF CyberAICorps Scholar.

Background

Her research interests span agentic trust and safety as well as the societal impacts of AI. Most recently in the summer of 2026, she was a research assistant at the Knight-Georgetown Institute, where she supported an interdisciplinary effort examining how generative AI is transforming content production and journalism on the internet. Prior to that, Elaine supported AI and cybersecurity defense missions at Los Alamos National Laboratory, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and Two Six Technologies, and previously wrote about technology policy and innovation through the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Service Work

As of fall of 2026, she has co-founded an AI fieldbuilding initiative in the greater Boston area that will act as the connective tissue between major universities such as MIT, Harvard, Boston University, Tufts University, and Northeastern University. At her alma mater, she previously directed the GW Chapter of Women in Cybersecurity and taught through the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative mentorship program, through both of which she mentored dozens of students and created entry-level pathways into cybersecurity. In her free time, she frequently hosts philosophy gatherings as a co-organizer of Socrates Cafe Boston.

Modus Operandi

Research and impact should not exist in two separate silos. If you’re someone who believes the same, and would like to start a collaboration or share a relevant opportunity, please email or schedule a meeting through her calendar.