Emma Duncan

Emma Ruth Duncan completed her Ph.D. in Philosophy at UC San Diego, where her doctoral research focused on how relationships shape the norms of interpersonal influence. She received an M.A. in Philosophy from Northern Illinois University and B.A. degrees in Philosophy and Graphic Design from Portland State University. Emma's research interests include the normative dimensions of trust, the ethics of influence in public health initiatives, and the socio-affective structure of human-AI relationships. She is currently working on two projects: (i) understanding and addressing distrust as a driver of vaccine hesitancy and (ii) developing an ethical framework for assessing the integration of conversational AI into therapeutic relationships, particularly in mental healthcare contexts. Emma is an Interdisciplinary Ethics Fellow in partnership with the Stanford d.school.