Onur Bakiner, PhD, MSc — Faculty ; Professor ; Department of Political Science - Honors , College of Arts & Sciences ; Areas of Expertise: Human Rights | Transitional Justice | World Politics .

Onur Bakiner is professor of political science and director of the Technology Ethics Initiative at Seattle University. His research and teaching interests include technology & society, technology governance, human rights, and judicial politics. His book Governing AI: A Primer (Cambridge University Press, 2026) reflects his ongoing work on governance models to mitigate AI risks and harms.  His first book Truth Commissions: Memory, Power, and Legitimacy (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015) has been awarded the Best Book Award by the Human Rights Section of the American Political Science Association in 2017. His articles have been published in Big Data & Society, Law, Innovation and Technology, AI & Ethics, The Journal of Comparative Politics, Annual Review of Law & Social Science, Negotiation Journal, Civil Wars, Journal of Law and Courts, International Journal of Transitional Justice, Memory Studies, and Turkish Studies. He has delivered public lectures in universities, nonprofits, international organizations and business associations in the United States, Colombia, Canada, Turkey and Germany on the societal implications of technology, judicial politics, and human rights.