About

Ian G. Williams, LMSW, is a New York State licensed social worker and Ph.D. student at the CUNY Graduate Center whose research focuses on the intersections of human service organizations and emerging technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence. Ian received his MSW in Organizational Management and Leadership from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, and his BA in East Asian Studies, Cultural Studies, and World Religions from McGill University.

As a scholar, Ian is interested in understanding how technologies shape human experience and how organizations attempt to implement technological innovations to advance social and economic justice. Ian brings his lifelong interest in technology, training in social theory (particularly critical theory, Continental philosophy, and history and philosophy of the sciences), lived experience in social movements and democratic social institutions, and over 10 years of practice in clinical, administrative, and managerial roles in human service organizations to inform his doctoral research.

During his career, Ian worked in organizations that provide supportive housing, refugee resettlement, and workplace mental health services. Before enrolling at the Graduate Center, Ian was a Policy Fellow with the Network for Social Work Management, where he worked on a project assessing the implications of widespread, unplanned telehealth adoption by behavioral health providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ian is currently a Program Social Media Fellow with the Graduate Center Digital Initiatives, where he manages social media for the Ph.D. program in Social Welfare. He teaches social welfare policy and a capstone seminar for MSW students at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.