Emerson Johnston

Emerson Johnston, from Los Angeles, California, is pursuing a master’s degree in international policy at Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. She is a first-generation college student and graduated summa cum laude from Northeastern University with dual bachelor’s degrees in politics, philosophy, and economics, and in history, culture, and law. Professionally and academically, Emerson has investigated how the permeation of emerging and disruptive technologies into all aspects of society poses unique challenges to national security. She wants to challenge the growth of digital repression and the rise of destructive autonomous technologies by using her graduate degree to help establish international norms and cyber architecture. She’s held positions at HUMAN Security and in the U.S. Army Reserve, and has interned for the Department of State and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Emerson was a 2021 Benjamin A. Gilman International scholar and a 2022 Department of Defense VICEROY DECREE scholar.