2020 Morison Prize and Lecture in Science, Technology, and Society: Dr. Alondra Nelson

This year’s recipient of the Morison Prize and Lecture is Dr. Alondra Nelson.

Dr. Alondra Nelson is president of the Social Science Research Council and Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study.  A leading scholar of science, technology, and social inequality, she is author most recently of The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation after the Genome.

In The Social Life of DNA, Dr. Nelson takes us on an unprecedented journey into how the double helix has wound its way into the heart of the most urgent contemporary social issues around race. Artfully weaving together interactions with ​root-seekers alongside illuminating historical details and revealing personal narrative, she shows that genetic genealogy is a new tool for addressing old and enduring issues, including grappling with the unfinished business of slavery, establishing ties with African ancestral homelands, and making legal claims for slavery reparations.