Victoria Dean (she/they)
@vdean.bsky.social
Teaching Faculty @ Princeton University | CMU, MIT alum | reinforcement learning, AI ethics, equity and justice, baking | ADHD 💖💜💙
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
Folks have been telling me they’ve noticed I’ve gotten “a lot more political” on social media this year.
Of course I have.
The circumstances have gotten nightmarishly worse, and the consequences of inaction and staying silent infinitely more obvious.
Everyone needs to get “a lot more political.”
Of course I have.
The circumstances have gotten nightmarishly worse, and the consequences of inaction and staying silent infinitely more obvious.
Everyone needs to get “a lot more political.”
November 11, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Folks have been telling me they’ve noticed I’ve gotten “a lot more political” on social media this year.
Of course I have.
The circumstances have gotten nightmarishly worse, and the consequences of inaction and staying silent infinitely more obvious.
Everyone needs to get “a lot more political.”
Of course I have.
The circumstances have gotten nightmarishly worse, and the consequences of inaction and staying silent infinitely more obvious.
Everyone needs to get “a lot more political.”
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
'Artificial intelligence tools used by more than half of England’s councils are downplaying women’s physical and mental health issues and risk creating gender bias in care decisions, research [led by Sam Rickman, LSE] has found.' 1/2
AI tools used by English councils downplay women’s health issues, study finds
Exclusive: LSE research finds risk of gender bias in care decisions made based on AI summaries of case notes
www.theguardian.com
August 11, 2025 at 6:10 AM
'Artificial intelligence tools used by more than half of England’s councils are downplaying women’s physical and mental health issues and risk creating gender bias in care decisions, research [led by Sam Rickman, LSE] has found.' 1/2
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
Blue dots are UN aid distribution sites that existed in Gaza before the IDF and US mercenaries took over the process and blocked the UN.
Yellow squares are current sites.
The current system is aid theater and has created killing fields where dozens of aid seekers are killed every single day.
Yellow squares are current sites.
The current system is aid theater and has created killing fields where dozens of aid seekers are killed every single day.
August 5, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Blue dots are UN aid distribution sites that existed in Gaza before the IDF and US mercenaries took over the process and blocked the UN.
Yellow squares are current sites.
The current system is aid theater and has created killing fields where dozens of aid seekers are killed every single day.
Yellow squares are current sites.
The current system is aid theater and has created killing fields where dozens of aid seekers are killed every single day.
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
Whew 😬 “Being forced to use AI has turned a job I liked into something I dread. As someone with a journalism background, it feels insulting to use AI instead of creating quality blog posts about education policy.” — A marketing team-member at an EdTech co. www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/how-ai-is-...
AI Killed My Job: Tech workers
Tech workers at TikTok, Google, and across the industry share stories about how AI is changing, ruining, or replacing their jobs.
www.bloodinthemachine.com
June 25, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Whew 😬 “Being forced to use AI has turned a job I liked into something I dread. As someone with a journalism background, it feels insulting to use AI instead of creating quality blog posts about education policy.” — A marketing team-member at an EdTech co. www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/how-ai-is-...
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
Specifically, if you're looking for a CS job at a small liberal arts college check this list (later this summer): cs-pui.github.io
And warning: many of these jobs have early fall deadlines!
#FAccT2025
And warning: many of these jobs have early fall deadlines!
#FAccT2025
June 25, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Specifically, if you're looking for a CS job at a small liberal arts college check this list (later this summer): cs-pui.github.io
And warning: many of these jobs have early fall deadlines!
#FAccT2025
And warning: many of these jobs have early fall deadlines!
#FAccT2025
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
JUST IN: ProPublica’s “Life of the Mother” series, which exposes the fatal consequences of abortion bans, has won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
This is the second consecutive year we’ve been awarded this distinction and our eighth Pulitzer: www.propublica.org/series/life-...
This is the second consecutive year we’ve been awarded this distinction and our eighth Pulitzer: www.propublica.org/series/life-...
May 5, 2025 at 7:37 PM
JUST IN: ProPublica’s “Life of the Mother” series, which exposes the fatal consequences of abortion bans, has won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
This is the second consecutive year we’ve been awarded this distinction and our eighth Pulitzer: www.propublica.org/series/life-...
This is the second consecutive year we’ve been awarded this distinction and our eighth Pulitzer: www.propublica.org/series/life-...
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
Breaking news: I am now an "adult"
My wife was cleaning out some drawers and found some childhood art of now-adult @vdean.bsky.social of the two of us with my longtime colleague Sanjay.
April 22, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Breaking news: I am now an "adult"
Our NEH grant was terminated this week. The reason? The letter reads, "NEH has reasonable cause to terminate your grant in light of the fact that the NEH is repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President’s agenda." www.olin.edu/articles/new... 🧵 (1/5)
NEWS: Olin receives NEH grant for AI, climate change, and humanities curriculum integration
www.olin.edu
April 11, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Our NEH grant was terminated this week. The reason? The letter reads, "NEH has reasonable cause to terminate your grant in light of the fact that the NEH is repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of the President’s agenda." www.olin.edu/articles/new... 🧵 (1/5)
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
If you're working on "fairness" "ethics" "responsible AI" and such at these companies while watching your colleagues getting fired for protesting this carnage and managing to be quiet about these lucrative "AI" for genocide contracts, you're providing cover for these companies to commit genocide.
FYI, LinkedIn users:
"Microsoft’s ties to the Israeli military are deeper and more lucrative than previously known, exposing the tech giant’s role in supplying advanced cloud and AI services during the genocide."
www.dropsitenews.com/p/microsoft-...
#FreePalestine #AbolishZionism #DismantleWhiteness
"Microsoft’s ties to the Israeli military are deeper and more lucrative than previously known, exposing the tech giant’s role in supplying advanced cloud and AI services during the genocide."
www.dropsitenews.com/p/microsoft-...
#FreePalestine #AbolishZionism #DismantleWhiteness
The Israeli Military Is One of Microsoft's Top AI Customers, Leaked Documents Reveal
Microsoft is a major provider of cloud services and artificial intelligence for the Israeli military, according to internal documents.
www.dropsitenews.com
April 8, 2025 at 6:33 PM
If you're working on "fairness" "ethics" "responsible AI" and such at these companies while watching your colleagues getting fired for protesting this carnage and managing to be quiet about these lucrative "AI" for genocide contracts, you're providing cover for these companies to commit genocide.
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
I'm supposed to be at
Sweet Briar College, where I was so excited to meet with the amazing students, faculty, and staff who organized my visit & made Mobility their Common Read. Hours before my flight I learned about their Board's exclusion of trans & nonbinary people. So now I'm not going.
Sweet Briar College, where I was so excited to meet with the amazing students, faculty, and staff who organized my visit & made Mobility their Common Read. Hours before my flight I learned about their Board's exclusion of trans & nonbinary people. So now I'm not going.
April 2, 2025 at 4:53 PM
I'm supposed to be at
Sweet Briar College, where I was so excited to meet with the amazing students, faculty, and staff who organized my visit & made Mobility their Common Read. Hours before my flight I learned about their Board's exclusion of trans & nonbinary people. So now I'm not going.
Sweet Briar College, where I was so excited to meet with the amazing students, faculty, and staff who organized my visit & made Mobility their Common Read. Hours before my flight I learned about their Board's exclusion of trans & nonbinary people. So now I'm not going.
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
Immersed in so much cruelty, I'm 🥹 to see that the Arnold Arboretum is hosting a ceremony to say goodbye to its silver maple
view.hu.harvard.edu?qs=e61e0290f...
view.hu.harvard.edu?qs=e61e0290f...
April 1, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Immersed in so much cruelty, I'm 🥹 to see that the Arnold Arboretum is hosting a ceremony to say goodbye to its silver maple
view.hu.harvard.edu?qs=e61e0290f...
view.hu.harvard.edu?qs=e61e0290f...
Proud to live in a precinct that went +87 for Harris.
And for those who missed our election neighborhood maps ... (we're still filling in some precincts, but this is updated from November) www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
An Extremely Detailed Map of the 2024 Election (Gift Article)
See how your neighborhood voted on our interactive, precinct-level results map of the presidential election.
www.nytimes.com
March 31, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Proud to live in a precinct that went +87 for Harris.
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
Migration data is critical in the health, environmental, and social sciences.
We're releasing a new dataset, MIGRATE: annual flows between 47 billion pairs of US Census areas. MIGRATE is:
- 4600x more granular than existing public data
- highly correlated with external ground-truth data
1/2
We're releasing a new dataset, MIGRATE: annual flows between 47 billion pairs of US Census areas. MIGRATE is:
- 4600x more granular than existing public data
- highly correlated with external ground-truth data
1/2
March 28, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Migration data is critical in the health, environmental, and social sciences.
We're releasing a new dataset, MIGRATE: annual flows between 47 billion pairs of US Census areas. MIGRATE is:
- 4600x more granular than existing public data
- highly correlated with external ground-truth data
1/2
We're releasing a new dataset, MIGRATE: annual flows between 47 billion pairs of US Census areas. MIGRATE is:
- 4600x more granular than existing public data
- highly correlated with external ground-truth data
1/2
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
DOGE/Musk preferentially cancelled grants and contracts to recipients in counties that voted for Harris in 2024.
Among cancellations with election data available, 92.9% and 86.1% cancelled grants and contracts went to Harris counties, representing 96.6% and 92.4% of total dollar amounts.
Among cancellations with election data available, 92.9% and 86.1% cancelled grants and contracts went to Harris counties, representing 96.6% and 92.4% of total dollar amounts.
March 23, 2025 at 1:38 PM
DOGE/Musk preferentially cancelled grants and contracts to recipients in counties that voted for Harris in 2024.
Among cancellations with election data available, 92.9% and 86.1% cancelled grants and contracts went to Harris counties, representing 96.6% and 92.4% of total dollar amounts.
Among cancellations with election data available, 92.9% and 86.1% cancelled grants and contracts went to Harris counties, representing 96.6% and 92.4% of total dollar amounts.
A small win: when I type "a" in my address bar, my browser autofills to amtrak.com and not amazon.com
Amtrak Tickets, Schedules and Train Routes
Book your train and bus tickets today by choosing from over 30 U.S. train routes and 500 destinations in North America.
amtrak.com
March 7, 2025 at 3:13 PM
A small win: when I type "a" in my address bar, my browser autofills to amtrak.com and not amazon.com
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
BREAKING: We're sending an open letter to universities across the country, offering support and urging them to reject pressure to punish international students and faculty for exercising their First Amendment rights.
Schools must hold firm against the Trump administration's censorship attempts.
Schools must hold firm against the Trump administration's censorship attempts.
March 4, 2025 at 8:05 PM
BREAKING: We're sending an open letter to universities across the country, offering support and urging them to reject pressure to punish international students and faculty for exercising their First Amendment rights.
Schools must hold firm against the Trump administration's censorship attempts.
Schools must hold firm against the Trump administration's censorship attempts.
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
Earlier this month, Olin students and faculty made a big splash in the scientific community - joining 4,000 attendees from 65 countries at the @aaas.org Annual Meeting.
📬 Read the recap: www.olin.edu/articles/sto... #science #technology #policy
📬 Read the recap: www.olin.edu/articles/sto... #science #technology #policy
STORY: Olin College’s Undergraduate Research and Hands-on Learning on Display at 2025 AAAS Annual Meeting
www.olin.edu
February 25, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Earlier this month, Olin students and faculty made a big splash in the scientific community - joining 4,000 attendees from 65 countries at the @aaas.org Annual Meeting.
📬 Read the recap: www.olin.edu/articles/sto... #science #technology #policy
📬 Read the recap: www.olin.edu/articles/sto... #science #technology #policy
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
Keep shaming them for this. I don't mean Musk, Bannon and the other turds doing the Sieg Heil very openly and purposely (we know they are Nazis). I mean the GOP members who people elect.
They should not be able to get away with it and they should not be normalizing this. We know what comes next.
They should not be able to get away with it and they should not be normalizing this. We know what comes next.
Steve Bannon, after calling for Trump to be President for life, did a Nazi salute on stage at CPAC.
Nazism has officially taken over the GOP.
The few remaining conservatives have a choice: either leave the party and obstruct it—or choose to be complicit.
Nazism has officially taken over the GOP.
The few remaining conservatives have a choice: either leave the party and obstruct it—or choose to be complicit.
February 21, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Keep shaming them for this. I don't mean Musk, Bannon and the other turds doing the Sieg Heil very openly and purposely (we know they are Nazis). I mean the GOP members who people elect.
They should not be able to get away with it and they should not be normalizing this. We know what comes next.
They should not be able to get away with it and they should not be normalizing this. We know what comes next.
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
Ex NFL player @chriswarcraft.bsky.social protesting the inclusion of a MAGA acronym in the Huntington Beach library plaque at last night’s council meeting. He was arrested and cited.
February 19, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Ex NFL player @chriswarcraft.bsky.social protesting the inclusion of a MAGA acronym in the Huntington Beach library plaque at last night’s council meeting. He was arrested and cited.
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has threatened to annihilate 60 years of advancements in equal opportunity by eliminating all federal funding for schools that support and celebrate students from diverse backgrounds.
🧵
1/
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1/
February 19, 2025 at 7:44 PM
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has threatened to annihilate 60 years of advancements in equal opportunity by eliminating all federal funding for schools that support and celebrate students from diverse backgrounds.
🧵
1/
🧵
1/
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
I think corporations making billions in profit should pay a reasonable percentage of that in corporate income tax. And 0% is not reasonable.
Tesla earned $2.3 billion in the United States in 2024.
You'd think it paid a lot in taxes, right?
Well it paid precisely $0 in federal income taxes last year.
You want waste and fraud? Look at what some big corporations and the rich are getting away with.
You'd think it paid a lot in taxes, right?
Well it paid precisely $0 in federal income taxes last year.
You want waste and fraud? Look at what some big corporations and the rich are getting away with.
Tesla Paid Zero Federal Income Tax in 2024, Despite $2.3 Billion in Income
This brings Tesla’s average tax rate over the past three years to 0.4 percent.
truthout.org
February 9, 2025 at 3:04 AM
I think corporations making billions in profit should pay a reasonable percentage of that in corporate income tax. And 0% is not reasonable.
Reposted by Victoria Dean (she/they)
Excited to share new work led by @vivekmyers.bsky.social and @crji.bsky.social that proves you can learn to reach distant goals by solely training on nearby goals. The key idea is a new form of invariance. This invariance implies generalization w.r.t. the horizon.
Reinforcement learning agents should be able to improve upon behaviors seen during training.
In practice, RL agents often struggle to generalize to new long-horizon behaviors.
Our new paper studies *horizon generalization*, the degree to which RL algorithms generalize to reaching distant goals. 1/
In practice, RL agents often struggle to generalize to new long-horizon behaviors.
Our new paper studies *horizon generalization*, the degree to which RL algorithms generalize to reaching distant goals. 1/
February 6, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Excited to share new work led by @vivekmyers.bsky.social and @crji.bsky.social that proves you can learn to reach distant goals by solely training on nearby goals. The key idea is a new form of invariance. This invariance implies generalization w.r.t. the horizon.