About Jack Bandy

Jack Bandy is a Ph.D. candidate in Northwestern's Technology and Social Behavior program, working in the Computational Journalism Lab. His research investigates algorithmic platforms like Twitter, Apple News, and TikTok, and how they shape the flow of information in society.

📲 Contact Information:

Over the years I've become more convinced that everything worthwhile is done with other people — what force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one? Also, I'm happy to meet in person if you're in Chicagoland. Here are the best ways to connect with me:

• 📧 Send me an email directly, to jackbandy(at)u[dot]northwestern{dot}edu
• 📮 Send me an email using the form below
• 🐦 Follow / DM me on Twitter

I am most active on Twitter (for now), but you can also follow me on Medium, LinkedIn, and/or GitHub. You can also reach me with this form:

📣 Recent Updates:

• May 2022: New preprint available on SSRN! Forthcoming book chapter about the local news crisis, The New York Times, and Twitter 📖🗞
• March 2022: Finished teaching, now in focus mode for my prospectus 🎧
• February 2022: Beginning my dissertation prospectus ✍️
• January 2022: Teaching a winter quarter course about computer ethics 👨🏻‍🏫
• October 2021: Fall internship with Twitter's META team 🐣

📜 Old News:

• September 2021: New publication in Social Media + Society 📊📄
• September 2021: Presented on "The Science of Social Media Algorithms" at Uncontrolled Variables (link to my slides) 📽🎤
• August 2021: Now serving as a board member for the AI@NU Graduate Student Group
• July 2021: BookCorpus paper accepted to NeurIPS Datasets track 📚 📄
• July 2021: New essay for Real Life 🖋
• June 2021: Developed this new website 👻
• May 2021: New op-ed (on police tech) in the Chicago Tribune 📰
• April 2021: New op-ed (on algorithmic transparency) in The Hill 🏛
• April 2021: CSCW 2021 Papers now in the official ACM Library 😎
• March 2021: Volunteered at FAccT 2021 🦜🙂

📄 Curriculum Vitae:

I plan to formally enter the job market in late 2022, with the goal of starting a full-time position some time in 2023. For now, I am open to roles in academia or industry, and am especially open to roles in the Chicagoland area.

Other Tidbits

Just a sample of some art I find meaningful / inspiring (see also my book list):

🎬 Favorite Movies:

• The Before Trilogy directed by Richard Linklater
• The Snowman by Dianne Jackson
• Arrival directed by Denis Villeneuve
• Devs directed by Alex Garland
• Good Will Hunting directed by Gus Van Sant
• Ad Astra directed by James Gray
• The Post directed by Steven Spielberg

🎙 Favorite Speeches and Poems:

• The Shapes of Stories by Kurt Vonnegut
• This is Water by David Foster Wallace
• The Mad Farmer Liberation Front by Wendell Berry
• The Three Oddest Words by Wisława Szymborska
• Questionnaire by Wendell Berry

💬 Longer Bio

I was recently asked for a 100-150 word biography – here is a version of that:

Jack Bandy is a PhD candidate in the Technology and Social Behavior program at Northwestern University, where he works in the Computational Journalism Lab. His research investigates algorithmic platforms like Twitter, Apple News, and TikTok, which  shape the flow of information in today's media ecosystem. Jack's research often combines topics and methods from algorithm auditing, data science, human-computer interaction, ethics, and media studies. He also writes on topics related to technology and the public interest, with recent pieces in The Hill, Real Life Magazine, and the Chicago Tribune. Before coming to Northwestern, Jack received an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Kentucky. He has also completed internships at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Legit Apps, and Twitter.