Hanna Sistek

I'm a political scientist and incoming Civil Discourse Fellow at Harvard University's Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics. My research examines how digital technologies reshape democratic discourse and political accountability. My dissertation developed a reputational cost theory of disinformation linking politicians' increased use of false and biased information to digitalization, affective polarization, and media fragmentation. It received the 2026 Best Dissertation Award from the Information Technology and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association.

At Harvard, I am also developing ConvoLab, an AI-powered dialogue coach that helps people practice difficult political conversations across partisan lines. It pairs two AI agents: one plays the role of a conversation partner, the other acts as a coach offering feedback grounded in partisan-bridging principles.

Prior to academia, I worked as an international journalist, reporting from 19 countries across five continents for outlets including Al Jazeera, Svenska Dagbladet, Göteborgs-Posten, and Amnesty Press. I was an Innovation Journalism Fellow at Stanford University in 2008.

I hold a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Political Science from Purdue University, a Journalism degree from the University of Gothenburg, and a B.S. in Physical Therapy from Lund University. I was born in Czechoslovakia and grew up in Sweden.