Kati Kish Bar-On

Kati Kish Bar-On is a philosopher whose research bridges the social and behavioural sciences to explore the dynamics of polarization, social identity, and collective behaviour. She is currently a postdoctoral research fellow in the Science, Technology, and Society programme at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a lecturer at Northeastern University, and a MetaScience and AI Fellow supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Her work investigates how social identities, norms, and group categorizations shape human reasoning, and how these same mechanisms can both foster and mitigate polarization. Drawing on insights from philosophy, psychology, cognitive science and complex systems, her research examines how shared norms and emotions influence trust, conflict, and moral judgment within and between groups. Her broader research connects these questions to the philosophy of science and technology, particularly the ways in which emerging AI systems reshape human collaboration and understanding. Through her interdisciplinary work, Dr. Kish Bar-On seeks to illuminate the cognitive and social foundations of division and dialogue, thereby offering new conceptual tools for understanding how societies fragment and how they can come together.