James Mickens

Faculty Director

James Mickens is an associate professor of computer science at Harvard University. His research focuses on the performance, security, and robustness of large-scale distributed web services.

For example, his Riverbed project explores how to use trusted hardware and new OS interfaces to allow users to constrain how datacenters manipulate sensitive data.

Mickens received a B.S. degree in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Michigan. Before coming to Harvard, he spent six years as a researcher at Microsoft, and a semester as a visiting professor at MIT.

He is also the creator of Mickens-do, a martial art so deadly that he refuses to teach it to anyone (including himself).

Associated Works

April 3, 2023

Twitter’s New API Plans Will Devastate Public Interest Research

Faculty Director James Mickens and the Coalition for Independent Tech Research argue that Twitter's API plan will restrict public interest research. The group pledges to "advance, defend, and work to sustain the right to ethically study the impacts of technology on society."

December 1, 2022

From Emergency to Prevention:
Protecting Journalists from Online Abuse

How can online technologies evolve to provide better safeguards to journalists? PEN America and RSM hosted an interdisciplinary workshop with reporters, academics, civil society experts, and platform representatives to brainstorm solutions.

May 17, 2022

The Tower and the Park: Structural Misalignments of Social Media

Join us for a special Berkman Klein Center Luncheon featuring RSM Strategy Advisor, Joanne Cheung, who will discuss her research and open access article, “Real Estate Politik: Democracy and the Financialization of Social Networks.”

April 21, 2022

Private Consciences and Public Companies: Whether and How to Work within Big Tech

Join us for an in-person panel discussion exploring the opportunities, challenges, and ethical considerations one may face when working in Big Tech.

December 16, 2021

The Technology Future We Want: Imagining Positive Futures for Social Media

This creative workshop will bring together a wide range of participants to consider the opportunities and risks of online communication, imagine the futures we want, and acknowledge the difficulty (and importance) of such explorations.