Headshot of John P. Nelson

John P. Nelson
He/Him/His
Assistant Professor
School of Public Policy
[email protected]
541 (dash) 737 (dash) 8920

United States

John P. Nelson is an assistant professor in the School of Public Policy at Oregon State University. His research interests include the governance of emerging technologies; the role of science in politics and policymaking; and the evolution of knowledge and technology. Nelson’s current projects focus on ethics and responsibility in development and implementation of artificial intelligence; the effects of AI on scientific and technological progress; and the role of science in democracy. Prior to arriving at Oregon State, Nelson was a postdoctoral fellow in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His first book, with Barry Bozeman, is Advanced Introduction to Innovation and Public Values (2025), published by Edward Elgar.

Research Interests
  • Science and technology policy
  • Public values theory
  • Processes of innovation and technological change
  • Responsible research and innovation
  • Science and democratic governance
Education
  • Ph.D., Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University (2023)
  • B.S., Innovation in Society, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University (2018)
Selected Publications
  • Nelson, J.P. (2025). Illegible performance: Constructing scientific credibility in the “post-truth” era. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/02704676251324470.
  • Nelson, J.P., B. Bozeman, S. Bretschneider, & S.L. Lindsay (2024). How do academic public administration and policy researchers affect policymaking? Functional groupings from survey data. Scientometrics 129: 65-93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-023-04860-w.
  • Nelson, J.P., D. Tomblin, A. Barbera, & M. Smallwood (2024). The divide so wide: Public perspectives on the role of human genome editing in the U.S. healthcare system. Public Understanding of Science 33(2): 189-209. https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625231189955.
  • Nelson, J.P. (2023). Differential “progressibility” in human know-how: A conceptual overview. Research Policy 52(2): 104663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2022.104663.
  • Nelson, J.P. (2021). Public value promises and outcome reporting in Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy. Minerva 59: 493-513. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11024-021-09444-7.
  • Nelson, J.P., L. Kaplan, & D. Tomblin (2021). Assessing solar geoengineering research funders: Insights from two U.S. public deliberations. The Anthropocene Review 8(1): 37-55. https://doi.org/10.1177/2053019620964845.
Selected Awards and Distinctions
  • "Rising Star" Faculty Member, Jimmy and Rosalynn School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology (2025)
  • University Outstanding Graduate Award, College of Global Futures, Arizona State University (2023)
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow (2019)
  • Outstanding Undergraduate Award, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University (2018)
  • Pac-12 First Team All-Academic (2015, 2016)
Curriculum Vitae