Baobao Zhang, associate professor of political science and Maxwell Dean Associate Professor of the Politics of AI, has received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award for $567,491 to support her project, “Future of Generative Artificial Intelligence for Current and Future Workers.”
The NSF CAREER Award is one of the most prestigious early‑career recognitions from the foundation, supporting faculty who integrate outstanding research and education. Zhang’s study will explore how generative AI is transforming American workplaces—examining its effects on worker productivity, job satisfaction and skill development.
Zhang joined the Maxwell School faculty in 2021. She serves as a senior research associate with the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute and the Campbell Public Affairs Institute. Her research focuses on trust in digital technology and the governance of AI, studying public and elite opinions toward AI, and how institutions adapt to technological change.
She received earlier recognition for her contributions to AI governance, including the Public Voices Fellowship on Technology in the Public Interest (2023-24) and the Schmidt Futures AI2050 Early Career Fellowship (2022). Her work has been published in journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Nature Human Behavior, and she co‑edited the volume, The Oxford Handbook of AI Governance.
“Professor Zhang’s work on the governance of artificial intelligence exemplifies the Maxwell School’s strength in addressing timely, real‑world issues,” says Dean David M. Van Slyke. “This NSF CAREER Award not only acknowledges her exceptional early‑career scholarship but also furthers our mission to equip future policymakers with tools to navigate an economy that is increasingly shaped by AI.”
