PhD Dissertation Award in Technoprogressivism
Supporting doctoral scholars working at the intersection of philosophy, technology, and the human future.
Clarity of thought
Arguments are well-structured, precise, and communicated without unnecessary obscurity.
Originality
The dissertation makes a genuine contribution — a new argument, a new framing, or a new application to existing debates.
Relevance to our time
The research addresses live questions at the intersection of technology, ethics, and human futures.
Progress toward completion
Evidence of serious momentum — coursework done, proposal accepted, substantive work underway.
About the Award
The IEET awards $1,000 annually to a graduate student working on a dissertation in technoprogressivism — broadly construed. Philosophy of technology, political science, sociology, economics, literature studies: the field is wide. The thread is serious engagement with how emerging technologies reshape what it means to live a human life.
Purpose
To encourage and support original scholarship on technoprogressivism at the doctoral level.
Eligibility
Applicants must meet all three of the following:
- Active doctoral student whose primary research is directly philosophical or empirical — the mode of inquiry must go beyond a literature review, regardless of institutional home discipline.
- All coursework completed.
- Dissertation proposal formally accepted by the institution.
Recipients may receive the award no more than once.
Administration
Sponsored and administered by the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, an independent non-profit think-tank.
Selection & notification
Submissions are judged on merit. Winners and any honorable mentions are notified by letter by December 1, 2026.
Award recipients
Matteo MacDermant
"Labor in the Future Tense: The Tech Workers Movement and Sociotechnical Transformation"
Cindy Friedman
"The ethics of humanoid robots"
Aimen Taimur
"The Techno-progressivist Legal Cogitation of Cognitive Freedom: Situating Human Rights Protection Against Manipulation of Free Thought by Artificial Intelligence"
Ann-Katrien Oimann
"The Morality of the Use of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems: the Problem of Attributing Moral Responsibility"
No award given
Nominations close November 1
Self-nominations only. Send your complete package to steve@ieet.org.