News

Future Faces of Research: Gender Bias in AI

Is the AI we use to understand the world might be restricting the way we view the world? AI systems are playing an increasingly important role in analysis, prediction, and decision-making. However, they are trained on mainstream and uncritical datasets that reproduce stereotypical gender roles, abilities, and behavioral patterns, reinforcing biases, which leads to a limited understanding of society.

Living Feminist Lives in a Garbage Patch

Feminist work hard to fight against damaging narratives. These are stories designed to harm or limit us. They stymie our imagination and vision of what the world can be. 

Sometimes we get called killjoys because of this. But the "joy" we kill is built upon pain, violence, and damage. We see this in narratives such as: Girls don't like sports. Women are bad at math. She asked for it. Feminists refute such world-constraining stories. In their place, we fashion realities that are caring, restorative, and life-affirming. 

Spring Seminars Open to Undergrads

Check out these First Year Seminars for Spring 2026 rooted in feminism!Feminist Climate Modeling: Care & Repair

CRN: 41604

Course: 002-21

Units: 2
Day/Time: Thursday 4:10 pm - 6:00 pm

Instructor: Sarah McCullough & Harlin/Hayley Steele

Join the FRI Team

A Student Assistant IV is sought to work for the Feminist Research Institute. The Feminist Research Institute is dedicated to changing research culture towards justice and liberation. Scientific practices remain infused with the legacies of white supremacy, colonialism, and patriarchy. And we seek to change this. If this mission resonates with you, please read on!

Doing Change-Oriented Research: Studying the Impacts of Deportation Raids

The United States is home to 47.8 million immigrants, the majority of which have government-sanctioned status in the country. Immigrants make invaluable contributions to society and are owed dignity, just as are all humans. Despite this, immigrants are often exploited, abused, imprisoned, and deported--often through degrading and dehumanizing processes. People are losing protected status and being swept up and imprisoned without warning. This causes severe distress to them, their community, family, and friends.

Asking Different Questions in AI and Data Flows

AI, LLMs and the mobilization of large data sets are reshaping research, work, learning, and daily life. They are exerting influence on politics, media, business decisions, resource allocation, and education. This graduate course will apply a feminist, critical race STS lens to understand the operation and uses of AI in research. We will examine what historical impacts, cultural factors, and forces of oppression may be operating in AI and directing data flows.