Sean Leahy
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Mail code: 2121Campus: Dtphx
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Sean Leahy, PhD, is an internationally recognized futurist, technologist, educator, and thought leader innovating humanistic approaches to emerging technology through a Futures Studies approach. He is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Thunderbird School of Global Management, Executive Director for the Future of Being Human Initiative, and Senior Global Futures Scholar with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.
His work bridges the worlds of academia, research, and practice to creatively inform and support public-facing thinking and engagement at the interface between emerging and transformative technological capabilities and human flourishing. He is the founding director of multiple innovative emerging technology laboratories at ASU which include the Digital Maker Studio at the Creativity Commons, as well as IgnitED Labs. As a prolific champion of public scholarship Dr. Leahy has created and launched an exciting new podcast Modem Futura with co-host and colleague Andrew Maynard to bring complex ideas and scholarship around futures to the mainstream public forum. This engaging and approachable podcast seeks to entertain and inform the public about challenges and opportunities of technological innovations and examines probable, possible, and preferable futures. Dr. Leahy is also the founder, executive producer and host for the Learning Futures podcast, and has been recognized by ASU Knowledge Enterprise Research Development as an expert in ethical, legal, and societal aspects of artificial intelligence.
Through futures thinking and strategic foresight, Dr. Leahy’s work is focused on catalyzing thinking associated with advanced technology transitions, technology for good, and the future of being human in a technologically complex world and advances the scholarship in anticipatory uncertainty around preparing the next workforce in emergent technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution including artificial intelligence (AI), extended reality (XR), and Internet of things (IoT). Dr. Leahy's work has been represented in international journals, conferences, invited keynotes and lectures, and the U.S. Department of State Speaker Program. Dr. Leahy is an experienced educator and motivated leader creating award winning curriculum in higher education through Education, STEM, Computer Science, Media Communications, New Media Production, Interactive Digital Media, Photography, and Video Production programs. Dr. Leahy has recently been recognized for his published impactful policy brief for the G20 2024 Summit in Brazil, and policy brief advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the G20 2023 Summit in India, underscoring his commitment to sustainable development.
Prior to joining ASU Dr. Leahy was serving as the Head of Department of Media Communications, and Assistant Professor for Webster University, the Netherlands. As head of department, he was responsible for overseeing the accreditation, curriculum, and management of the undergraduate program in Media Communications, the graduate programs in Media Communications and New Media Production, and the specializations in Interactive Digital Media, Photography, and Video Production.
- Ph.D. Educational Psychology and Educational Technology, Michigan State University
- M.A. Educational Technology, Michigan State University
- B.A. Telecommunication Information Studies and Media, Michigan State University
Dr. Leahy’s research bridges the worlds of academia, research, and practice to creatively inform and support public-facing thinking and engagement at the interface between emerging and transformative technological capabilities and human flourishing.
Through futures thinking and strategic foresight, Dr. Leahy’s work is focused on catalyzing thinking associated with advanced technology transitions, technology for good, and the future of being human in a technologically complex world and advances the scholarship in anticipatory uncertainty around preparing the next workforce in emergent technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution including artificial intelligence (AI), extended reality (XR), and Internet of things (IoT).
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Leahy, S. M., & Holland, C. (2024). Harmonizing governance frameworks for the agentic use of AI in education across the G20 [Policy brief]. T20 Brazil 2024. https://www.t20brasil.org/en/pbs
Holland, C., Jha, J., Leahy, S., Rao, M., Bennett, D., Ghatak, N. & Ni, H. (2023). Developing comprehensive and responsive systems of early child development, education, and care. T20 Policy Brief, India. https://t20ind.org/research/developing-comprehensive-and-responsive-systems-of-early-child-development-education-and-care/
Leahy, S. & Mishra, P. (2023). TPACK and the Cambrian explosion of AI. In E. Langran (Ed.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 2465-2469). New Orleans, LA, United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).
Leahy, S. M., Scragg, B., & Mishra, P. (2022). Creatively confronting the adjacent possible: Educational leadership and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In R. Beghetto & G. Jaeger (Eds.), Uncertainty: A catalyst for creativity, learning and development. Creativity Theory and Action in Education (Vol 6, pp. 319-336). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98729-9_17
Leahy, S. M., Holland, C., & Ward, F. (2019). The digital frontier: Envisioning future technologies impact on the classroom. Futures, 113, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2019.04.009
RECENT KEYNOTES & INVITED LECTURES
Leahy, S. M. (2024, May 15). AI: Transforming the future of teaching, learning, and assessment. In J. McNulty & D. O’Connor (Chairs), Artificial Intelligence in teaching, learning, and assessment [Symposium]. University College Dublin Teaching and Learning Symposium 2024, Dublin, Ireland.
Leahy, S. M (2024, April 26). Futures of GenAI in Educaiton: Aligned with UNESCO SDGs [Conference session]. Machine Learning Day 2024, Glendale, AZ, USA. https://asuevents.asu.edu/event/machine-learning-day-2024
Leahy, S. M., Jagannathan, U., Mattisson, H. L., Marchat, G., Basu, K., Powers, M. & Abbot, J. D. (2024, April 12). Ethical AI Development [Panel discussion]. 2024 AI Conference, From AI to AZ: Navigating the Silicon Desert, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Pierotti, S. & Leahy, S. M. (2023, May 11) Welcome! Why we’re here: a brief history of artificial intelligence [Conference session and program emcee]. ShapingEDU Mini Summit: AI x Higher Ed, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love AI Tools, Tempe, AZ, USA [Virtual]. https://shapingedu.asu.edu/event/shapingedu-mini-summit-ai-x-higher-ed-…
Leahy, S. M. (2023, February 23). Scanning the education futures horizon. [Lecture]. ShapingEDU Global Community Solutioneering Summit 2023, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Leahy, S. M. (2023, February 16). Becoming a citizen futurist. [Lecture]. ShapingEDU Global Community Solutioneering Summit 2023, Scottsdale, AZ, USA [Virtual].
Leahy, S. M. (2023, January 13). Futures of artificial intelligence in education and diversity equity and inclusion. [Lecture]. Open Innovation for Education, Scottsdale, AZ, USA.
Holland C. & Leahy, S. M. (2022, February 4). Futures Thinking. [Seminar]. Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway, Ireland.
Leahy, S. M. (2021, September 15). Challenges and opportunities of AI in education in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. [Lecture]. EdTech Korea 2021 Forum, Seoul, South Korea.
Scragg, B.& Leahy, S. M. (2021, March). Designing learning futures: Navigating toward the next normal. Keynote address presented at OLC Innovate K-12 Summit, Boston, MA, USA [Virtual].
Leahy, S. M., Misrha, P., & Donner, J. (2021, January). Learning futures: Designing the horizon. Keynote address presented at ShapingEDU Winter Games 2021conference, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Leahy, S. M. (2020, July 22). Around the flagpole: The what, why, and how of learner-centered everything [Moderator, presenter, panelist]. ASU Learning Human [online], Tempe, AZ, USA.
Leahy, S. M. (2020, July 14). Futures thinking and strategic foresight: What it is, why it matters for leaders [Lecture]. Learning Futures Leadership Studios [online], Tempe, AZ, USA.
Leahy, S. M. (2020, February 22). Principled use of technology in the Fourth Industrial Revolution [Lecture]. Principled innovation: Leadership for today, tomorrow and the future, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Leahy, S. M. (2019, October). Fourth Industrial Revolution: Impact on education paradigms. US Speaker Program. Lecture presented at U.S. Department of State Speaker Program, Seoul, South Korea.
Leahy, S. M. (2019, July). The futures of learning in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Global Learn. Keynote address presented at 2019 Global Learn conference, Princeton, NJ, USA.
Courses
2027 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| TGM 568 | Metaverse & Global Enterprise |
| TGM 598 | Special Topics |
| TGM 194 | Special Topics |
2026 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| TGM 598 | Special Topics |
2026 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| TGM 568 | Metaverse & Global Enterprise |
2026 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| FIS 307 | Navigating Futures |
| FIS 307 | Navigating Futures |
| TGM 568 | Metaverse & Global Enterprise |
| TGM 598 | Special Topics |
2025 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| TGM 598 | Special Topics |
- Dr. Leahy is the creator, Executive Producer, and co-host of Modem Futura Podcast, a futures oriented podcast at the intersection of technology, society, and the possible, probable, and preferable futures.
- Dr. Leahy is the creator, Executive Producer, and some-time host of the Learning Futures Podcast
- Guest Editor (2020 - 2021) Current Issues in Education (CIE; ISSN 1099-839X)
- Future Today Institute Summer 2018 Fellow - with Amy Webb: https://futuretodayinstitute.com
- Adobe Education Exchange: https://edex.adobe.com/
- Association for Educational Communications & Technology (AECT): http://aect.site-ym.com/
- Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies (CIFS): https://cifs.dk/
- International Communications Association (ICA): http://www.icahdq.org/