Ed Finn
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Phone: 480-727-0710
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Center for Science and the Imagination Suite 102-02 Centerpoint, 660 S. Mill Ave Tempe, AZ 85287
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Mail code: 5802Campus: Mesatempe
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Ed Finn is the founding director of the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University, where he is an associate professor with a joint appointment in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the School of Arts, Media and Engineering. He also serves as the academic director of Future Tense, a partnership between ASU, New America and Slate Magazine and a co-director of Emerge, an annual festival of art, ideas and the future.
Finn’s research and teaching explore digital narratives, creative collaboration, and the intersection of the humanities, arts and sciences. He is the author of "What Algorithms Want: Imagination in the Age of Computing" (MIT Press, March 2017) and co-editor of "Frankenstein: Annotated for Scientists, Engineers and Creators of All Kinds" (MIT Press, May 2017) and "Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future" (William Morrow, 2014). He completed his doctorate in English and American literature at Stanford University in 2011 and his bachelor’s degree at Princeton University in 2002. Before graduate school, Finn worked as a journalist at Time, Slate, and Popular Science.
Finn is also affiliated with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Barrett, The Honors College, the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, and the Center on the Future of War.
- Ph.D. English, Stanford University
- M.A. English, Stanford University
- A.B. Comparative Literature (Summa Cum Laude) with certificates in Applications of Computing, Creative Writing and European Cultural Studies, Princeton University
Contemporary American literature, digital narratives, experimental humanities, creative collaboration, science fiction, digital humanities, interdisciplinary research
Books
Joey Eschrich and Ed Finn, eds. Climate Imagination. MIT Press, forthcoming Fall 2025. A “beta” edition of this book was released open access on MIT Press’s PubPub platform as the Climate Action Almanac in January 2024.
Ed Finn, Bob Beard, Joey Eschrich, and Ruth Wylie. Imagining Transmedia. MIT Press, 2024.
Kirsten Berg, Torie Bosch, Joey Eschrich, Ed Finn, Andrés Martinez, and Juliet Ulman, editors. Future Tense Fiction: Stories of Tomorrow. Unnamed Press, 2019.
David H. Guston, Ed Finn, and Jason S. Robert, eds. Frankenstein: Annotated for Scientists, Engineers and Creators of All Kinds. MIT Press, May 2017.
What Algorithms Want: Imagination in the Age of Computing. MIT Press, March 2017.
Ed Finn and Kathryn Cramer, eds. Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future. William Morrow, September 2014.
Non-Commercial Anthologies
Space Futures (NASA)
Ed Finn and Joey Eschrich, eds. Visions, Ventures, Escape Velocities: A Collection of Space Futures. Center for Science and the Imagination, December 2017.
Overview (Knowledge Enterprise Development, ASU)
Michael G. Bennet, Joey Eschrich and Ed Finn, eds. Overview: Stories in the Stratosphere. Center for Science and the Imagination, August 2017.
Tomorrow Project (Intel)
Ed Finn and G. Pascal Zacchary, eds. Living Tomorrow. Intel Corporation, 2015.
Ed Finn and G. Pascal Zacchary, eds. Journeys Through Time and Space. Intel Corporation, 2015.
Ed Finn and G. Pascal Zacchary, eds. Dark Futures. Intel Corporation, 2014.
Ed Finn and G. Pascal Zacchary, eds. The Future—Powered by Fiction. Intel Corporation, 2014.
Ed Finn, ed. “Green Dreams” section of Cautions, Dreams & Curiosities: A Tomorrow Project Anthology, 2013.
Scholarly Publications
Ed Finn, “Applied Poetics.” Poetics Today 45(2), 2024, pp. 251-258.
Ed Finn, Carolina Torrejon Capurro, Michael G. Bennett, and Ruth Wylie. “Applied Imagination.” Frontiers in Psychology Vol. 14, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1275942.
Pat Pataranutaporn, Ruby Liu, Ed Finn and Pattie Maes. “Influencing Human-AI Interaction by Priming Beliefs about AI Can Increase Perceived Trustworthiness, Empathy and Effectiveness.” Nature Machine Intelligence 5, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42256-023-00720-7.
Peter Nagy, Areej Mawasi, Ed Finn, Ruth Wylie. “The Chimera, the Robot Artist, and the Cardboard Hand”. Science & Education, 2023: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-023-00463-2
Ed Finn and Suren Jayasuriya, “Cultural Myths and Narratives about Artificial Intelligence,” in Reporting on Artificial Intelligence: A Handbook for Journalism Educators, ed. M. Jaakkola. UNESCO, 2023: 37-48.
Rae Ostman, Peter Nagy, Areej Mawasi, Ed Finn, Ruth Wylie. “Exploring Responsible Research and Innovation in Museums Through Hands-on Activities.” Curator: The Museum Journal. November 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cura.12530.
Areej Mawasi, Peter Nagy, Ed Finn, Ruth Wylie. “Narrative-Based Learning Activities for Science Ethics Education: An Affordance Perspective.” Journal of Science Education and Technology 31 (1): 16-26.
Peter Nagy, Areej Mawasi, Kristi Eustice., Allison Cook-Davis, Ed Finn, and Ruth Wylie. “Increasing Learners’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Curiosity through a Frankenstein-Themed Transmedia Storytelling Experience.” British Journal of Educational Technology. 2022.
Andrew Dana Hudson, Ed Finn, and Ruth Wylie. “What Can Science Fiction Tell Us About the Future of Artificial Intelligence Policy?” AI and Society September 2021. DOI: 10.1007/s00146-021-01273-2.
Ed Finn and Ruth Wylie. “Collaborative Imagination: A Methodological Approach.” Futures Vol. 132, September 2021.
Ed Finn. “Imagining Futures Together: On Science Fiction and Resilience.” Science Fiction Research Association Review. Vol. 51 (1), Winter 2021. (Invited essay.)
Mawasi, A., Nagy, P., Finn, E., & Wylie, R. “Using Frankenstein-themed science activities for science ethics education: An exploratory study.” Journal of Moral Education, 2021, 1-17.
Ed Finn. “Imagining Better Futures: Harnessing Stories to Contend with Risk.” Technology, Ecology, and Risk Assemblages no. 1, November 2020, pp. 9-17.
Peter Nagy, Joey Eschrich, and Ed Finn. “Time Hacking: How Technologies Mediate Time.” Information, Communication and Society 2020, pp. 1-15. DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2020.1758743.
Ed Finn. “The Black Box of the Present: Time in the Age of Algorithms.” Social Research, vol. 86, no. 2, 2019, pp. 557-579. (Invited article).
Peter Nagy, Ruth Wylie, and Ed Finn. “Facing the Pariah of Science: The Frankenstein Myth as a Social and Ethical Reference for Scientists.” Science and Engineering Ethics 2019, 1-23.
Jonatan Lemos, Ed Finn. “Babel VR: Multimodal Virtual Reality Environment for Shelf Browsing and Book Discovery.” International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction 2019, pp. 30-38. (Poster).
Peter Nagy, Ruth Wylie, Joey Eschrich, and Ed Finn. “The Enduring Influence of a Dangerous Narrative: How Scientists Can Mitigate the Frankenstein Myth.” Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, vol. 15, no. 2, 2018, pp. 279-292.
Pat Pataranutaporn, Todd Ingalls, Ed Finn. “Biological HCI: Towards Integrative Interfaces between People, Computer, and Biological Materials.” Extended Abstracts of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. April 2018. DOI: 10.1145/3170427.3188662. (Conference abstract).
Erin Walker, Ruth Wylie, Andrea Danielescu, James P. Rodriguez III, and Ed Finn. “Balancing Student Needs and Learning Theory in a Social Interactive Postdigital Textbook.” End-User Considerations in Educational Technology Design, edited by Rod D. Roscoe, Scotty D. Craig, and Ian Douglas, IGI Global, 2018. (Invited chapter).
“Monster Mythos: Frankenstein as Network Text.” The Rightful Place of Science: Frankenstein, edited by Megan Halpern, Joey Eschrich, and Jathan Sadowski. Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes, 2017, pp. 81-93. (Invited chapter).
Michael Simeone, Advaith Gundavajhala Venkata Koundinya, Anandh Ravi Kumar, Ed Finn. “Towards a Poetics of Strangeness: Experiments in Classifying Language of Technological Novelty.” Cultural Analytics, 2017. DOI: 10.22148/16.015.
Peter Nagy, Ruth Wylie, Joey Eschrich, and Ed Finn. “Why Frankenstein is a Stigma Among Scientists.” Science and Engineering Ethics, vol. 24, no. 4, 2018, pp. 1143-1159.
Megan K. Halpern, Jathan Sadowski, Joey Eschrich, Ed Finn, David H. Guston. “Stitching Together Creativity and Responsibility: Interpreting Frankenstein Across Disciplines.” Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society Vol. 36, no. 1, 2016, pp. 49-57.
“Field Notes from the Future of Publishing,” electronic book review, October 5, 2014.
“Revenge of the Nerd: Junot Díaz and the Networks of American Literary Imagination,” Digital Humanities Quarterly Vol. 7, no. 1, 2013.
“New Literary Cultures: Mapping the Digital Networks of Toni Morrison.” From Codex to Hypertext: Reading at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century, edited by Anouk Lang, University of Massachusetts Press, 2012, pp. 177-202.
“Becoming Yourself: The Afterlife of Reception.” The Legacy of David Foster Wallace: Critical and Creative Assessments, edited by Lee Konstantinou and Samuel Cohen, University of Iowa Press, 2012, pp. 151-176. (Invited chapter).
A modified version of the above has also been published as:
“Becoming Yourself: The Afterlife of Reception.” Pamphlets of the Stanford Literary Lab #3. September 15, 2011. (Invited).
- Finn,Edward Frederick*, Cavalier,Darlene Faith, Gano,Steve, Guston,David H, Halpern,Megan K., Montoya,Mitzi, Ostman,Rae Ellen Marie, Simeone,Michael Paul, Tebeau,Mark Thomas, Wylie,Ruth. Increasing Learning and Efficacy about Emerging Technologies through Transmedia Engagement by the Public in Science-in-Society Activities. NSF-EHR-DRL(8/1/2015 - 7/31/2019).
- Finn,Edward Frederick*, Finn,Edward Frederick*, Bell III,James, Miller,Clark Anson, Wylie,Ruth. Narrative Projections for Commercial Space Futures. NASA(7/1/2015 - 6/30/2016).
- Walker,Erin Ashley*, Finn,Edward Frederick, Finn,Edward Frederick, Wylie,Ruth. EAGER: Towards Knowledge Curation and Community Building within a Postdigital Textbook. NSF-CISE-IIS(8/1/2014 - 7/31/2016).
- Bliss,Nadya T*, Ahn,Gail-Joon, Bliss,Daniel Wesley, Cooke,Nancy Jaworski, Corman,Steven Robert, Davulcu,Hasan, Dirks,Gary William, Finn,Edward Frederick, Finn,Edward Frederick, Liu,Huan, Maciejewski,Ross, Thies,Cameron G, Westerhoff,Paul, White,Dave Douglas. The Foresight Initiative. DOD-NGA(6/1/2014 - 5/31/2019).
- Finn,Edward Frederick*, Finn,Edward Frederick*. Evoke Creative Framework and Network Development (ASUF 30006176). ASU FDN(5/21/2014 - 6/30/2014).
- Finn,Edward Frederick*, Guston,David H. Frankenstein Workshop: Informal Learning And Scholarship In Science And Society: A Multi-Disciplinary Workshop On Scientific Creativity And Societal. NSF-EHR-DRL(3/1/2014 - 2/29/2016).
- Finn,Edward Frederick*, Walker,Erin Ashley. Future of the Book (ASUF 30005926). ASU FDN(9/13/2013 - 12/31/2014).
- Bell III,James*, Finn,Edward Frederick. Imaging and Spectroscopic Studies of the Martian Surface. NASA-GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CTR(5/16/2012 - 5/15/2016).
Courses
2026 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| HSD 552 | Worldbuilding and Imagination |
| AME 792 | Research |
| AME 799 | Dissertation |
2025 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| AME 590 | Reading And Conference |
| AME 792 | Research |
| AME 130 | Prototyping Dreams |
2025 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| AME 799 | Dissertation |
| HSD 552 | Worldbuilding and Imagination |
2024 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| AME 590 | Reading And Conference |
| AME 792 | Research |
| AME 484 | Internship |
| AME 101 | ASU Media Arts & Sciences Exp |
| AME 101 | ASU Media Arts & Sciences Exp |
| AME 101 | ASU Media Arts & Sciences Exp |
2024 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| AME 799 | Dissertation |
| HSD 552 | Worldbuilding and Imagination |
2023 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| AME 590 | Reading And Conference |
| AME 792 | Research |
| AME 484 | Internship |
| AME 494 | Special Topics |
| AME 598 | Special Topics |
2023 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| AME 799 | Dissertation |
| HSD 552 | Worldbuilding and Imagination |
2022 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| AME 590 | Reading And Conference |
| AME 792 | Research |
| AME 484 | Internship |
| AME 598 | Special Topics |
| AME 494 | Special Topics |
2022 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| AME 799 | Dissertation |
| FIS 494 | Special Topics |
| HSD 598 | Special Topics |
| AME 598 | Special Topics |
| AME 499 | Individualized Instruction |
| AME 494 | Special Topics |
| AME 590 | Reading And Conference |
2021 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| AME 590 | Reading And Conference |
| AME 792 | Research |
| AME 484 | Internship |
| AME 494 | Special Topics |
| AME 598 | Special Topics |
2021 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| AME 799 | Dissertation |
| FIS 494 | Special Topics |
| HSD 598 | Special Topics |
| AME 494 | Special Topics |
| AME 598 | Special Topics |
2020 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| AME 590 | Reading And Conference |
| AME 792 | Research |
| AME 484 | Internship |
| AME 130 | Prototyping Dreams |